Paige
by cup-o'-sweet-T.E.A
Summary: What if Rossi had a daughter he never knew about? What would happen if she mysteriously showed up in his life? Bad summary, sorry. Been toying with idea for a week now. Maybe a little romance in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**All I own is Paige and the plot...everything else is CBS.**

**This is my second story for Criminal Minds, I hope you like it.**

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The short girl sat on a bench, waiting for the subway. Her hair was short, black, and curly, with a few blue streaks here and there. She wore it in pigtails. Her green eyes looked sad, her full, pink lips in a pout. Her nose ring glittered in the streetlights. She wore a black Guns n' Roses t-shirt, a black and white plaid skirt, black leggings, and high-top sneakers.

She had a black suitcase at her feet, and she carried a backpack. Next to her was a book, but she couldn't focus on it. She heard the subway approaching, so grabbed her stuff, and waited at the loading point.

The ride to the closest stop to the FBI headquarters was about thirty minutes. She thought the whole time. She thought about how unfair it was that her mother was dying, how unfair it was that her mother had sent her away. How her "father" didn't want her anymore after he found out that she really wasn't his daughter. Life was unfair.

It was about ten p.m. when she walked up the steps of the FBI headquarters. There were a few cars still in the employee lot. She wondered if one of them belonged to who she was looking for. She shrugged and tried the door. Locked.

"Dang," she said. Then sat on the steps, hoping someone would come out. She shivered. Virginia wasn't near as warm as Florida.

She heard voices and footsteps coming closer. She looked up, noticing two young agents exiting the building. Maybe one of them worked with him.

One of them, a slender, blond woman with blue eyes stopped.

"Can we help you?" She asked.

"I don't know. Do you know Dave Rossi?"

"Actually, yes I do. He works with me. I'm Agent Jennifer Jareau. What's your name and how old are you?" The girl looked to be no more than 16.

"Paige. Paige Haller. I'm 17." She said.

"Paige, are you in some kind of trouble?"

"No. Just lost. And I need to talk to Agent Rossi."

"Well, why don't you come inside and we'll talk." J.J. was very suspicious of the girl. It's not everyday at the FBI that you encounter a lost teenager sitting on the steps late at night.

"I'm not a runaway!"

"Whoa, no one said you were." The other agent said. He was tall, with a light chocolate skin, and a shaved head.

The two agents convinced the girl to go in the building. They brought her into the bullpen, and J.J. went to get Hotch. Moments later, Hotch and J.J. returned.

"Miss Haller? We're going to take you down to the Police Department."

"Look, I'm not trying to find trouble. I need to talk to Dave Rossi. It's urgent." Paige was nearing hysteria. She hadn't slept in three days.

"I'll call him." Hotch said. Seconds later he was calling Rossi.

"Rossi," the other man answered.

"Dave, we've got a girl here at the Bureau. Her name is Paige Haller, she needs to talk to you."

"I don't know her. Ask her what it's about."

"Paige, he wants to know why."

"Because," she said. "I think he's my dad."


	2. Chapter 2

**All I own is Paige and the plot. Everything else belongs to CBS.**

**R&R please.**

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Several breaths came in sharply.

"Hotch? Hotch?" Dave Rossi asked impatiently.

"She-she says that she thinks you are her dad." Hotch heard a click. Fifteen minutes later he was there. When he walked in, everyone was in the bull pen, surrounding Paige.

"Miss Haller?" Rossi asked.

"Agent Rossi," she replied softly, looking up. The other agents couldn't help but stare. Paige and Rossi wore the same confused expression, and she looked just like him.

"Who is your mother?" Rossi inquired.

"Casey."

"Casey?" Rossi paused to remember his ex-wife, the only one that he'd really cared about. He thought of her green eyes. Paige looked a lot like her. He frowned at the memory, because he then thought of the day when she left.

_"Dave, I'm pregnant. I've been having an affair, and this baby isn't yours. I don't want to hurt you more than I already have, so I'm leaving. I'm moving to Florida to live with the father of this baby. Don't come after me." Her note had said._

Rossi snapped back.

"No, Casey cheated on me. You're mistaken."

"No I'm not. My 'dad' did a DNA test three weeks ago and he's not my biological father. He flipped out and left. Right in the middle of mom's ch-chemo." She stuttered at the last word.

"Casey's sick?"

"Cancer. Left lung. She's terminal. She sent me away so I wouldn't have to watch her die. She'd already told Paul that I wasn't his, so he left and told me he wanted nothing more to do with me." She began to cry.

"Dave, can I talk to you for a minute?" Hotch asked. Rossi nodded.

Hotch and Rossi were around the corner talking, while Derek and J.J. comforted Paige.

"Hotch, Casey said that she cheated, I mean, how could I be her father--" Rossi babbled.

"Dave, look at her. She's the spitting image of you. Listen, I'm going to arrange a DNA test, and I'm going to give you a few weeks off to get things in order. This has got to be a shock for you. Myself and the rest of the team will be more than happy to stop by and help you if you're feeling lost. I'm sure she can take care of herself, but regardless, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call." He said. All Rossi could do was nod.

Rossi and Hotch walked back to the center of the bullpen, where Paige was drying her eyes, J.J. rubbing her back.

"I'm sorry, I'm being such a baby." She said, sniffling.

"You're not being a baby, it's healthy for you to cry, especially after all you've been through." J.J. said. "Look, here's Rossi."

"Okay, Paige. I guess we're going to get a DNA test just to be sure, but for now, you can stay in the guest room at my house."

Rossi grabbed her suitcase, and she carried her bag and book. They were almost to the door when she dropped the book. She leaned down to pick it up, but a creamy, masculine hand beat her to it. She looked up to find a tall, skinny man with chin-length hair.

"I believe this is yours." He said.

"Yes, thank you." She replied, holding her hand out for the book.

"Ah, Poe. Not light reading." He handed it to her.

"He's my favorite." She admitted.

"I'm Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Paige Haller," she replied.

"Did you know that Edgar Allen Poe--"

"Reid, not the time. Let's go, Paige." Rossi said, exhausted.

"Okay," she replied. "Nice to meet you Dr. Reid. I have to go now, but maybe we can discuss Poe some other time."

"All right."

Rossi and Paige left the building and headed for Rossi's house, both nervous, wondering what was to come.

**A/N: Sorry guys, not really a great chapter, but I'm having horrid writer's block. What do you guys think so far? Should I continue?**


	3. Chapter 3

**All I own is the plot and Paige...everything else belongs to CBS.**

**Read and Review please! I really hope you all are enjoying this!**

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Rossi pulled his car into the spot in the garage. He grabbed Paige's suitcase and locked the car. He walked to the door that lead from the garage to the entryway. Paige followed. She took off her shoes in the entryway, not wanting to track anything in onto the immaculate white carpet. She admired all the paintings on the wall on the way to the guest room. She looked in each of the rooms they passed, the first one on the left being the living room. There was a big, soft sofa on one wall, a lazy boy chair by the large window. A big, flat-screen television hung on the wall, and across from it, was a fireplace. There was a pretty painting hanging above the mantle, and knick-knacks below it. There were two large built-in bookshelves around the fireplace and mantle, covering the whole back wall. All the shelves were covered in leather-bound books. Paige made a mental note to check out the books at a later time.

Next was the half-bath. She peeked in, noticing how clean and sparkling it was. It had a simple, yet elegant burgundy and gold theme to it. It was very pretty. The next room was on the right, it was the dining room. The white carpet continued into it, and there was a large cherry wood table in the center, surrounded by eight chairs. On the wall to the right was the china hutch, filled with beautiful plates and crystal wine glasses. On the far end was a set of glass, French doors leading to the outside. It was dark, so Paige couldn't see what was out there. On the left was a set of matching doors leading into another hallway.

Paige and Rossi reached the end of the hallway they were in and turned right. The first door on the left was across from the other door into the dining room, and it lead into the kitchen. It was very dark in the kitchen, and Paige was getting sleepy, so she told herself that she'd check it out in the morning. Finally, they reached a set of stairs at the very end of the hallway, to the left. Paige followed Rossi up the stairs. The second floor was just two guest rooms and two bathrooms. Rossi continued up the next set of stairs. Paige stopped, out of breath.

"Where are you taking me? To the attic?" She asked, panting.

"Pretty close. When I had this townhouse built, I put the master bedroom on the third floor, and across from it, a room in case I ever had kids. It's a guest room right now, but I can change it. It's the best guest room." He said.

They reached the top of the stairs. To the left was a set of French doors, which lead to Rossi's room. Across the hallway, was a single door, with a door next to it. Rossi opened the first door.

"This will be your room, kiddo." He said. "Um, I'll leave you to get settled in, and if you need me, I'll be across the hall."

"Okay, thanks."

Paige flicked on the light. She almost couldn't believe her eyes! In the center of the room on her right, was a queen-sized bed, covered in a light blue, frilly bed set. To the left, was a large closet. She opened it, and hung her jacket on one of the hangers. Across from the main door, was a set of French doors, much like the rest she'd seen. She set her book and bag on the bed and unlocked the French doors. She opened them, and stepped out onto the balcony. She could see all the city lights for miles. She looked directly down. She could've sworn she could see water. The whole back yard was surrounded by a tall fence. She went back inside, leaving the doors open.

On each side of the bed was a simple nightstand. On the wall to the left, next to the doors, was a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, similar to the one downstairs. There were no books on it, so Paige set hers on one of the shelves. To the right of the bed was an antique style desk. She smiled, looking around the room. It was about three times bigger than the one in Florida, the house she'd lived in with her parents had been relatively small and only one level.

It didn't take long for Paige to unpack. She was just hanging the last item of clothing up in the closet when Rossi knocked on the door.

"Um, your bathroom is next door to this room. We have never ending hot water. And don't you think you might want to call your Mom, let her know you're okay?"

"Um, sure Mr. Rossi."

"Call me Dave, for now anyways."

"Okay, Dave."

Rossi left her alone again. She put her toiletries in the bathroom, then went back into her room. There was a simple telephone next to the bed. She picked it up and called the hospital where her mother was.

"May I speak to Casey Haller please?" She asked. "Okay thanks."

_"Paige?_" Came a weak voice from the other end of the phone.

"Yeah, Mom, it's me. I made it to Virginia okay, and I'm at Dave's house now. We're getting a DNA test soon, I don't know when though."

_"Is he being nice to you? I should have called him, or written a letter, or something."_

"No, he's great, Mom, he's great. I can't understand why you left him."

_"Moment of weakness, baby." _Casey coughed.

"It's late, Mom. Why don't you go to sleep, I'll call in the morning."

_"Okay, goodnight honey. I love you with all of my heart, my little Paige Out Of A Book,"_ she let out a wheeze of a laugh.

"I love you, too, Mom," she said, starting to cry again.

"_Don't you cry, Paige. Be strong, for me? I can't be, so you have to. Okay?"_

"Okay, Mom." Paige stopped crying.

"_I love you baby, goodnight."_

"Love you, too. Sleep well." They hung up.

As soon as Paige hung up the phone, the tears came again. She laid down in the bed and sobbed.

Just outside the door, Rossi stood listening, a pained expression on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Criminal Minds is the property of CBS...all I own is Paige and the plot.**

**I'm really enjoying your positive feedback! Here's another long-ish chapter for y'all! Read and review please!**

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Paige finally fell asleep around one-thirty in the morning. After being sure she was asleep, Rossi went in to check on her. He closed and locked the French doors to the balcony, and covered Paige with a quilt. She stirred lightly, then snuggled back into the pillow. He turned off the light and went to his own room, keeping both doors open so that he could hear her if she woke up.

He opened the door to his walk-in closet. He went to the back, obviously looking for something. He grabbed a shoebox labeled "Casey" and he went back to sit on his King-sized bed. He pulled off the lid. The first items on top of everything were two rings. His had been a simple gold band, with the words "David and Casey" engraved on the inside. Hers was simple as well, a similar gold ring, but with one large diamond set in it, surrounded by two smaller diamonds. The same words were engraved in it. He set them aside. Next, there was a picture of them. Her dark curls were framing, her light green eyes twinkling as she smiled. Her cheek was pressed up against his. He really had loved her. And now she was dying. He picked up the phone and dialled a number.

"Garcia..." came a sleepy voice.

"Hey Garcia, it's Rossi." He said.

"Is there a reason you're calling me at 1:45 in the morning?" She asked.

"Yes, it's really important. I need you to look up a Casey Haller. Find out what hospital she's in." Rossi said.

"Okay, I'm on it."

"Call me when you find something."

"Okay, will do. Are you going to explain this?"

"Later."

"I'll hold you to that, Rossi." She said.

"Okay, thanks Garcia, you're a life-saver."

"No problem." They hung up. Minutes later, Rossi dozed off, still holding the picture.

The next morning, Rossi woke up to Paige talking to him.

"Wake up, Dave. Agent Hotchner called and said our DNA test is at noon. It's 10:00 a.m. now. You might want to wake up and get ready. Agent Hotchner said it takes about thirty to forty minutes to get to the clinic from here." She said.

"I'm up!" Dave said. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I've been ready for two hours. I've been trying to wake you up forever. Oh, and a Garcia called for you, she said she'd tell you later, whatever that means."

"Okay, did you eat some breakfast?"

"No. I'm not hungry."

"Well, we'll get something after the test." He said. Paige just shrugged.

"I guess, if you really want to." She said.

"Okay, I'm going to jump in the shower really quick and I'll be ready in 10 minutes." Rossi told her. She nodded and left.

While Rossi was in the shower, Paige used the time to check out his book collection. She almost couldn't believe her eyes at how many books he had. Of course, she'd read most of them, but all of the beautiful copies together was exciting to her. She quickly got bored after looking at all the titles. She went down the hall and peeked into the kitchen. It was huge, with marble countertops, hardwood floors, and stainless steel appliances.

"Welcome home, Emeril," she said sarcastically. She decided to go out in the backyard. She went out onto the patio from the dining room. There was a pool and a hot tub, and lots of pretty landscaping. She didn't really have time to look at the whole yard, but she did see her bedroom balcony from where she was standing.

"Paige? Paige?" She heard Rossi calling her name.

"I'm out here!" She yelled. Rossi came downstairs and found Paige outside.

"Let's go, kiddo, or we'll be late!" Paige followed him out to the car. Rossi unlocked the doors, and they quickly got in and drove.

Traffic was light, so the drive to the clinic was a little shorter than expected. They walked into the building and signed some papers, then waited for the doctor.

A little while later, a short woman with red hair entered the waiting area.

"Rossi and Haller?" she asked. They stood.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Wilks. This will only take a few minutes, and your boss said to get the results stat." She said. "We should know in a few hours."

"Okay, thanks doctor."

Paige and Rossi sat in separate rooms, while two separate nurses drew blood for testing. They were soon on their way.

"Hungry, kiddo?"

"Nope."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep."

"You don't talk much, do you?" He asked.

"Not really in a chatty mood." Paige said.

"Me neither," Rossi replied.

"Uh-huh." Paige smiled.

"I left some stuff in my office, is it okay if we go and get it?"

Paige brightened. "Sure, I want to say hello to J.J. and Morgan."

"Okay, you can do that." Rossi said.

Within minutes they were at the FBI headquarters in Quantico. Rossi headed to his office, leaving Paige in the bullpen.

"Paige?" Came a young-sounding voice.

Paige whirled around to find Reid.

"Hi, Dr. Reid!" She said.

"Hello, how are you?" He asked.

"Fine, just got back from getting the DNA test, we'll know soon."

"Oh, right, J.J. filled me in on that. Sorry to hear about your mom," Reid said awkwardly.

"It's no big deal," Paige said, before changing the subject. "Agent Rossi has a ton of books in his living room."

"Really?" Reid was captivated.

"Yeah, but I've read most of them, but there are a few there that I plan to read, that is if he lets me stay." She said.

Suddenly, Rossi emerged from his office, talking on his cell phone. Reid and Paige were only able to catch the end of it.

"Really, you're sure?" He asked. "Okay, thanks."

Paige looked at him quizzically. He came into the bullpen.

"Well, Paige. Um, that was the clinic that called." He said.

"And? What were the results?" She asked anxiously.

"Well, I guess I'm your biological father." He said awkwardly.

"That was fast. So does that mean..." she trailed off.

"Yes, you can stay with me if you like."

"Thank you so much!" She exclaimed and hugged him awkwardly, then quickly pulled away blushing.

"Yeah, no problem, kiddo." He replied. "I need to go talk to one of the other agents, so I'll leave you with Reid for a while. Reid, try not to bore her with statistics, please."

"Okay." Reid said as Rossi walked away. "I guess you get to read those books after all."

"Guess so," she replied, still in shock.

**So what do you guys think? I wrote the ending at like midnight last night, so I don't know if it's all that great. And sorry about the wait, I couldn't get online with my laptop.**


	5. Chapter 5

**All I own is Paige and plot...CBS owns Criminal Minds.**

**Read and Review please!**

**I do not own any of the books or stories discussed in this chapter.**

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Rossi knocked on the door to Garcia's "lair" as the team jokingly called it.

"Who dares to visit my lair?" She asked.

"Rossi," he said. Seconds later the door opened.

"Come in," she said.

"What did you find?"

"A Casey Haller in Florida, residing with Paul Haller, and daughter Paige. She's currently staying in the cancer wing of Mercy's Angels hospital in Miami." She said.

"Thanks Garcia. I owe you," he said before turning to leave.

"Wait a minute! You told me you'd explain." Garcia exclaimed. "Who is she?"

"My ex-wife. Her daughter Paige showed up yesterday. It turns out that I'm her father."

"Whoa, that's a lot to take in. Are you okay?"

"I'm great. I mean, I just found out that I have a daughter. I'm just sorry that I had to find out this late, and under these circumstances."

"How old is Paige?"

"Seventeen."

"Oh, is she here?" Garcia was intrigued.

"Yes, she's out in the bullpen with Reid. I'll bring her by later. I'm sure there are a few things she'll need at the house, you know, now that she's going to live with me."

"Okay, well, I have to meet her soon, okay? I'm sorry about your ex-wife."

"It'll be okay, I'm going to take care of it." He said. "I'll see you later."

Rossi exited the room, leaving a puzzled Garcia.

When he returned to the bullpen, he found Reid and Paige debating something.

"No way, "The Masque of the Red Death" is totally Poe's best work." Paige said.

"I'm telling you, "The Pit and the Pendulum", read it." Reid replied.

"I have read it, I've read all his works and 'The Masque of the Red Death' is the best." Paige argued.

"What are you guys arguing about."

"Not arguing, debating." Reid said.

"Whatever." Rossi replied.

"Which one of Poe's works is better, 'The Pit and the Pendulum' or 'The Masque of the Red Death'." Paige said.

"I say 'The Tell-Tale Heart'," Rossi said. Paige rolled her eyes.

"What? It's a good story!" Rossi argued.

"Yeah, it also happens to be the most cliche 'favorite' out of his whole collection. Which usually means that you haven't read anything else." Paige laughed.

"Okay, you caught me. Heck, I haven't read any of his work. Maybe I should, since you like him."

"No, not like. Love Edgar Allen Poe. He's amazing. I'm also a huge Shakespear fan, and Tolstoy, too. Okay, scratch that. Reading in general. If it's a book with words, I'll read it." Paige replied.

"Uh-oh, looks like Dr. Reid has met his match." Rossi joked.

"Haha, yeah right, I'm not that smart." She said. Reid almost said something, but Paige glared at him, shutting him up.

"Okay, well, we're gonna go now, okay? I'm sure there are some things you need to get from the store, you know, like a new bed set or something. I don't know, whatever you want so you can make that room yours."

"Naw, it's cool the way it is." Paige said.

"But it doesn't seem very you, I mean, don't you want some band posters or something?" He replied, gesturing to her Beatles t-shirt.

"I've got my stuff down in Florida, I'll make a trip down to go get it."

"Surely there are some things you need, like maybe school supplies. You are still in school, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm a Senior. And I guess I will be going to school here." She said. "I'll have Paul send my stuff, most of it's packed."

"We could drive down there in a couple of days, see your mom, get your stuff."

"Really?" She asked.

"Why not?" Rossi answered.

"Okay, cool." Paige said, smiling.

"Okay, let's go home and eat. I'm starving!" Rossi said.

"Sounds good, later Spencer." She smiled at the young genius.

"Later, Paige." Reid replied.

Rossi and his newly-found daughter left the BAU, and made their way home.


	6. Chapter 6

**All I own is Paige and the plot. The rest belongs to CBS!**

**Sorry for the long wait...I've been swamped with Senior Project.**

**I also don't own any of the titles or books discussed in this chapter.**

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Rossi unlocked the door and he and Paige went inside.

"Looks like I'll have to get you a set of keys." He said. "I'm away a lot working."

"It's cool." Paige said nonchalantly.

"So, what do you want for lunch?" Rossi asked.

"Whatever. I don't care." She said.

"Do you want pizza, Chinese, pasta?" Rossi inquired.

"You choose. I'm not a picky eater." Paige told him.

"Okay then. I'll order Chinese. It's my favorite." He said.

"Really? Cool." She stretched. "Is it okay if I borrowa book from your collection?"

"Yeah, go ahead. Feel free to read any of them that you want. Just put them back when you're done."

"Okay, thanks." Paige went into the living room where all the books were, while Rossi went to order their lunch.

She scanned the titles, finally finding something interesting. She grabbed "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand and sat down on the couch. She turned to the first page and began to read. She could hear Rossi's voice on the phone as he was ordering their meal. He seemed to be ordering two of everything on the menu. She smiled and continued reading. Soon Rossi was joining her in the living room.

"How's that book?" He asked.

"Good." Paige replied.

"You seem to have read quite a few pages already." Rossi noted, gesturing to the book.

"I'm only on page fifty." She said.

"That's really far, if you just started it."

"Oh, yeah, well, I read part of it back in Florida. I'm just picking up where I left off." She said, hoping he wouldn't notice that her breathing got faster. He did, but ignored it.

"She'll open up to me on her terms," he thought to himself. Five minutes later, the doorbell rang, and he stood up to answer it. A few moments later he was back with a big box of takeout.

"Geez, you were hungry." Paige remarked.

"Well, I love Chinese, so I got enough to make sure we both got what we wanted." He replied. They each grabbed some food, and Paige grabbed a pair of chopsticks.

"I didn't know you could use chopsticks." He said.

"Oh, really? Well, as you may know, my mom and I are part Japanese. And last year we had a Japanese foreign exchange student named Ai. She taught me tons of Japanese and some customs. I guess I use chopsticks as sort of a habit." Paige said.

"Oh, that's pretty cool. You'll have to teach me some Japanese sometime." Rossi said.

"Okay," Paige said.

"Oh, by the way, I've arranged for us to leave tomorrow morning. We're going to Florida to visit your mom and pick up all your stuff." He said.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah, so after dinner we should pack our things, and get to bed early. We'll be very busy when we get there." He told her.

"How are we getting there?" Paige asked.

"We're flying down, and driving back." He replied.

"Okay, that sounds cool." She said.

After that, they ate dinner in silence, then went to pack and go to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

**All I own is Paige and the plot. CBS owns the rest.**

**  
Thanks for all your reviews. Please keep reading and reviewing.**

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Paige opened her eyes at five the next morning. She smiled, knowing that in a few short hours, she would be able to see her mom again. She thought about her mother, her best friend, lying in the hospital bed. Soon she would be there to help her mom face the cancer and win.

She sat up in bed. The book she had been reading was setting on the table next to her. She was about half-way through it. She'd have to take it and another book with her for the flight. Her bag was by the door, and that day's outfit was hanging in the closet. She stepped out of bed and went to take a shower. She could hear Dave in the bedroom across the hall, rummaging through his closet. She quickly showered and got dressed before taking her bag downstairs. Rossi was already in the kitchen making coffee.

"Hey, there you are. I can make you some breakfast if you're hungry," he offered.

"No thanks. I'll just heat up some Chinese." She said.

"You must have gotten that from me." He replied. She looked at him quizzically. "Chinese is my favorite, too." He added.

She ate hastily and they drove to the airport. It was an hour before they finally boarded, and Paige looked at all the shops while they waited. Finally, they boarded the plane.

They sat in first class, and Rossi fussed over Paige, trying to make sure that she had all that she needed.

"Dave, I'm fine, I've got a book. I'll be content until we get there. You should take a nap or watch a movie and relax." Paige said.

"I just want to make sure you're comfortable. First flights can be scary." Dave replied.

"Wait how did you--"

"Profiler, remember? I don't miss much." He reminded her.

Rossi spent the flight sneakily observing his new daughter. She was too absorbed in her book to notice.

After three or four hours, the plane landed and they got a rental car. The drive to Mercy's Angels was short, and Paige was excited to be back in Florida. She spent the drive pointing out different places that she liked to visit.

Soon they were at the hospital, making their way up to Casey's room. Paige talked to the nurse, who seemed to know her very well. It was evident that she'd spent a lot of time at this hospital. Finally, they entered Casey's hospital room. It was full of dying flowers with cards that said "Mom" and pictures of Paige. Casey frowned when she saw her daughter.

"Paige, honey, I told you to go find your--" she stopped when Rossi entered the room.

"I did, Mom. I found him." Paige replied.

"Baby, I told you not to be here. It's getting close." Casey said, then coughed. Paige and Rossi winced at the sound. Casey was hooked up to several different machines, one of which supplied oxygen. Paige started to cry.

"I wanted to come see you, Casey." Rossi said.

"Dave, I'm so sorry I lied." Casey said, tears stinging her eyes.

"Casey, it's alright. I'm not angry." he told her.

"Paige, get your father some coffee or something." Casey said.

"But, Mom," Paige started to argue.

"Just go," Casey said. Paige obeyed.

As soon as Paige was out of ear shot, Rossi sat down next to his ex-wife.

"Casey, you know how much I loved you right? I still love you."

"Dave, don't. The past is the past." Casey said, coughing. "You have to listen to me though, while there is still time. I need you to take care of Paige."

"I will Casey, I want to."

"No, you don't understand. I need you to help her. She's changed ever since I got sick."

"What do you mean?"

"She used to be so happy all the time. She took dance lessons, and she was one of the best dancers I've ever seen, she was even captain of the drill team at school. She was a member of the Chess Club, and she was in Drama, too. She loved all of that. I loved going to all of her events, but when I started chemo, I couldn't go anymore. So she stopped. I want you to get her to do those things again, Dave."

"I will do my best, Casey." Rossi said.

"One other thing."

"What?"

"I don't know how much about herself Paige has told you, but I wanted to give you a head's up. Our daughter isn't like the other kids."

"What do you mean?" Rossi asked nervously.

"She tries to play dumb sometimes, but she's far from dumb. She's got an IQ of 176, we got her tested when she was little."

"Well, that's not so bad."

"She can also read super fast. I've never seen anyone blow through a book in ten minutes before. She does, all the time."

"I've seen it on numerous occasions. One of my colleagues is a genius."

"She can also memorize large amounts of information in a short period of time, and once it's in her head, it's there to stay."

"I've got a genius for a daughter?"

"Yes, but don't treat her like she's special, and don't make her feel bad about it."

"Why would I do that?"

"Paul did. Paul treated her like she was a freak. Especially after he found out." Casey wheezed. Again, another coughing fit took her.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Paige wandered into the room with a cup of coffee and handed it to Rossi.

"Dave, get the doctor," Paige said after Casey coughed up some blood. Dave didn't hesitate to listen.

"Baby," Casey said between coughs. "Please...listen to...your father..."

"Okay, Mom. I will," Paige said, tears springing to her eyes.

Dave and the doctor ran back into the room.

"I'm sorry, there's not much I can do." The doctor said.

"What if I can pay, cash?" Rossi asked.

"I'm sorry, sir. There really is nothing I can do."

"Can somebody with a real doctor's degree do something?" Rossi shouted.

"Dave...don't." Casey whispered. "I've been...to every doctor...imagineable. There's...nothing. I'm dying..." Casey said, the coughing subsiding.

"Paige, is this true?" Dave asked. Paige nodded, a few tears hitting the floor.

"I can give her a pain medication, but it will make her sleep. She doesn't have much time left. Casey, do you want pain medicine?"

"No, I want to spend my last minutes with my daughter." Casey replied. The doctor nodded and left, promising that he'd be just outside.

"Mom, you can't give up!" Paige exclaimed, then hugged her mother gently.

"Listen to me, my little Paige Out Of A Book, I'm tired. I want to go home. Up there." Casey said, smiling weakly.

"But, Mom, please!" Paige sat near her mother, holding her hand.

"Paige. I love you. With all my heart. Listen to your father, I'm sorry I lied." Her breathing grew labored. "I love you both."

Casey kissed Paige's hand, then closed her eyes and exhaled for the final time.

"Mom? Mom? Wake up! This isn't funny! Wake up! Mom?!" Paige cried, then realized her mom was gone. She began to sob hysterically. Dave lifted her away from the body while the doctors came in.

"Isn't there anything you can do now?! Bring her back!" Paige screamed. "Bring her back!"

"Your mother had specific wishes." The doctor replied.

"And I don't! I want my mother back!" Paige screamed through tears. She struggled to break free.

"Nurse, give her a sedative. She's hysterical." The doctor said.

"Yes, doctor." The nurse left for a moment, then came back with a needle. She injected it into Paige's arm, and then Paige's world went black.


	8. Chapter 8

**All I own is Paige and the plot! CBS is the genius behind the rest!**

**Please read and review!**

**_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

Rossi sat next to the hospital bed. They'd had to sedate Paige after Casey's death. Tears had dried onto her face. The doctor had said they would keep her until an hour after she woke up, and they had prescribed a mild sleeping pill for her. Paige was due to wake up soon.

Rossi stared at the floor. This was not how he'd imagined things would go. Things had changed tremendously in his life. Looking over at his sleeping daughter, he realized that the change was worth it. Paige looked so much like her mother, and they had similar personalities as well. He smiled at Paige. Even this late in the game, being a father was going to be rewarding. His cell phone rang.

"Rossi." He said.

"_Dave, it's me, Aaron," _came the voice from the other side of the call.

"Oh, hey Aaron. I'm sorry I didn't call when we landed. Paige was excited to be back in Florida." He said.

"_Okay, I just wanted to check and see how fatherhood was going for you."_ Aaron told him.

"Not good. We're at the hospital. Casey passed away about an hour ago, and Paige was in hysterics. She had to be sedated." Rossi said. Just then, Paige stirred.

"Mommy?" She whispered. "Where's my mom?"

"Hotch, I have to go." Rossi hung up the phone. "Paige, your mom passed away an hour ago. You were there, but after she died, you became hysterical. The nurse gave you a mild sedative to help calm you."

Tears began to fill Paige's eyes, silently this time. Soon they became heart-wrenching sobs, and she turned over on her side so that her back was to Rossi. He rubbed her back lightly, attempting to be a father. He let her cry, until the nurse came in, they she stopped crying. They checked Paige out of the hospital and drove to the hotel and Paige immediately went to sleep. Rossi followed suit.

The next morning, Dave and Paige began to clear things out of Paige's house. Paige took her time going through her mother's things. She put everything in boxes, so she could take it back to DC. Her own things were already packed and ready to go. Finally, after three days of packing, they were able to send a cleaning crew in so they could sell the house. During that three days, they made funeral arrangements for Casey. The funeral was two days later.

At the funeral, Paige said nothing. Not very many people came, just Dave, Paige, and a few of Paige's friends. Most of Casey's family had already died, and because of Paul, she hadn't had many friends. The funeral was short and sweet, and Dave and Paige had decided to leave right after the funeral. After Paige said her final goodbye, the pair got into Rossi's car and began their journey back to DC. Paige refused to speak the whole time, she just listened to her iPod and read a book. She read slowly, still trying to hide her genius from her father.

"Paige," he began. She refused to respond.

"You don't have to pretend to read at a normal speed. Your mom told me all about you. Go ahead and read at your normal speed. I'm not going to tease you or tell you to change." He said.

"Okay? Whatever," Paige said and rolled her eyes, then continued to read slowly.

**A/N: Sorry about the crappy chapter. I've got Senior Project to finish up and I don't have time to write anything good. I hope you enjoy though!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I own Paige and plot, CBS owns Criminal Minds.**

**Please continue to read and review! I love hearing your feedback!**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Paige had eventually dozed off in the car. When they pulled into the garage, she opened her eyes. It was close to midnight.

"Well, we're home." Rossi said. Paige nodded, then opened the car door.

"I guess I'll start hauling things up." Paige told him.

"No, you won't. The guys from the team are coming over to help tomorrow." He said. "Just take up what you need, we'll get the rest tomorrow."

Paige just looked at him, hurt.

"It will be locked. In fact, the car, the garage, and the door from the garage to the house will be locked. I also have an alarm system that will go off if someone even comes onto the property. It will all be okay." He said. She nodded, convinced.

Both father and daughter got their bags out of the car and headed upstairs to their rooms.

Rossi helped Paige carry her things into her room. She stretched and yawned, then sat down on her bed.

"I'm going to go to sleep now," she announced.

"Okay, kiddo. Do you want a sleeping pill?" Rossi asked. Paige shook her head.

"Okay then, I'll put them in my medicine cabinet, just come in and tell me if you need one." He said, then turned to leave.

"Dave?" Paige asked. Rossi paused, then turned to look back at her.

"Is it okay if I call you Dad, when I'm ready?" she asked.

"I would love that." He said.

"Okay, thanks. Good night." She said, exhausted. Rossi smiled at her and left the room. He stood by her door for a second, and listened to her. She must've had her ipod going, because she was singing. She had a very pretty voice. Rossi smiled. She sang for about ten or fifteen minutes, then the singing became a mumble, and soon it was quiet. He peeked in on her, and she was sound asleep, with a book open next to her, the French doors open, the light on, and her ipod still blaring. He went in and closed the French doors, put a bookmark in her book and set it on the bedstand, shut off her ipod and put it away, tucked her in and turned out the light. Then he himself went to bed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Paige is my character, and the plot is mine, but unfortunately, I'm not the genius behind Criminal Minds. Sad face.**

**Read and Review por favor! (That means please in Spanish).**

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Paige opened her eyes. The sun was shining bright through the French doors and it was warm in her room. For a minute, she almost thought she was in Florida again. She sat up and sadly realized that she wasn't. She was probably never going back to Florida. She could hear voices outside of her room. One voice was Spencer Reid softly rattling off statistics about injuries caused by hauling boxes incorrectly.

"Stuff it, kid." She heard Derek say. She couldn't help but giggle. She got out of bed and stretched. The mirror on the closet door showed her reflection.

"Gosh, I look like hell," she said to herself. She had dark circles under her eyes, and tear stains from crying. She ran her fingers through her hair to remove the tangles. She opened the door to her room and peered out into the hallway. Derek and Spencer had hauled up several boxes of her things from Florida. They must've gone back downstairs.

Paige went into the bathroom to wash her face. Rossi knocked on the door.

"Paige, are you awake?" He asked.

"Yeah," she replied. She quickly dried her face and left the bathroom. Dave was standing there.

"Is there something you wanted me to do?" She asked.

"No," came another voice. It belonged to Derek. "You're going to go sit down and read, or do something to relax. We've got this."

Just then, Spencer came up the stairs, panting and out of breath, hauling her makeup case.

"God, Rossi. Got enough stairs?" He said between breaths.

"You seriously need to lift some weights." Derek teased. Paige smiled.

"I'm sorry you're going to all this trouble. It's really not needed. I could have handled this myself." Paige said.

"No. It's no trouble at all. And before you tell Rossi he shouldn't have asked us, he didn't, we volunteered." Reid said.

"Profilers," Paige muttered. "Are you sure you all aren't just psychic or something? You know way too much."

"I know I'm not." Derek said, then laughed. "Where do you want these boxes?"

"Um, out here is good. I'll move them into my room after breakfast." She said.

"You mean lunch. It's noon. And no, you won't be moving them." Derek said.

"Come on, you gotta let me do something." Paige begged. Spencer smiled at her.

"Okay, we'll make you a deal. You go eat, and let us haul everything up here and into your room, and we'll let you unpack." He said.

"Reid, we were going to let her do that anyway," Derek said.

"Well, she didn't know that!" Spencer yelped. Paige giggled and rolled her eyes. Suddenly she heard more voices coming from downstairs. One belonged to J.J. and another to Hotch. The other two belonged to people she didn't know.

"Aw, Jayje! You brought little Henry!" One of them said.

"You know, I think I will go downstairs." Paige said, having heard Rossi talk about Henry a few times. She dashed down the stairs to find J.J. watching a pretty brunette hold her son, and a slightly chunky, very quirky-looking blonde woman tickle him. J.J. smiled when she saw Paige.

"Paige!" She exclaimed, then pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, J.J." Paige replied quietly. J.J. continued to hug her for a few minutes, rubbing her back, then kissed the top of her head.

"I'm here if you need me, okay?" J.J. whispered into Paige's ear. Paige nodded after J.J. let go of her.

Hotch put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Paige, this is Emily Prentiss," he said gesturing toward the brunette woman. Emily smiled at her, and gave Henry back to his mother so she could shake hands with Paige.

"Nice to meet you, Agent Prentiss." Paige said, smiling.

"Nice to meet you, too, Paige. Call me Emily." she replied. The other blonde woman seemed to be antsy.

"And this is--" Hotch began.

"Penelope Garcia, at your service!" the woman exclaimed.

"You're the one that called on the phone the other day," Paige said.

"Yeah!" Penelope grabbed Paige's hand and was walking with her toward the kitchen.

"Come on, your dad told us you still needed to eat!" Paige nodded.

"We are going to be really good friends! I almost always stay home while the team's gone, so you and I will be hanging out a lot! Your dad told me that if it was okay with you, I could stay here with you, or you at my house while he's gone on cases." She said.

"How do you know Dave?" Paige asked.

"I work at the Bureau too. I'm a technical analyst, so I stay in my office with my awesome computers and help out by tracking down creeps and all their dirt." Penelope replied.

"Computers? I love computers." Paige admitted.

"Well, we'll have plenty of time to spend on them." Penelope said, looking through the kitchen, trying to find something for Paige to eat.

"Wow, Rossi sure doesn't have a lot of food. Except a lot of week-old Chinese. Yuck." She said, digging through the fridge. She finally gave up on the fridge and looked in the cupboards, finding nothing.

"Okay, Rossi needs to take you shopping to get soem food and stuff. Geez. Let's go out to lunch. As a big group!" Penelope said, then power-walked to the living room, where J.J. was sitting with Henry.

"Come on, kitten, we're going out to lunch." She said, then rushed off to alert everyone else. She turned to Paige.

"Go get dressed and ready to go out to lunch!" She ordered. Paige liked this woman. She was odd, and meant business. She seemed like she would be a fun person to stay with while Rossi was out on cases.

Paige ran back up to her room and threw on some clothes. She put on bright orange and yellow tanktops, neon green leggings, and a short, hot pink petticoat. A bunch of bright, multicolored glitter and water bracelets on her left arm topped off the look. She put a neon rainbow hairclip in her hair, and threw on her bright blue high heels. Then she did her makeup with some simple foundation, a little pink blush, plain white eyeshadow, and a little black eyeliner. Then she was ready. She stepped out of her bedroom. Reid just stared at her.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing, you're just very colorful." He replied.

"Thanks, the colors are cheerful. They make me feel better." She admitted. Just then, Garcia came up the stairs with Derek.

"You ready?" Penelope asked Paige. "Oh my word, I love your outfit! Happy colors!"

Paige giggled at the plump blonde.

"Ready for what?" Spencer asked.

"We're going to lunch as a group. Wanna come?" Paige asked.

"Why not? Sounds like fun!" He said, smiling.

Soon everyone was downstairs, getting into cars. J.J., Henry and Hotch rode with Rossi, while Derek, Spencer, and Paige rode with Penelope in Esther. Penelope dragged Paige to the car.

"Paige gets shotgun and total control over music!" She squealed. Soon they were on their way to the restaurant, and Paige was having the time of her life.


	11. Chapter 11

**Paige and plot are mine, but unfortunately, I wasn't the one who came up with Criminal Minds. I also don't own any of the pop culture references in this chapter.**

**Please read and review!**

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Penelope's group was the last one to arrive at the restaurant. Paige and Penelope walked in first, smiling and giggling, follwed by a stunned pair of men.

"What's wrong with you two?" Rossi asked Derek and Spencer.

"Oh, well, I gave Paige total control over the music choice and she had her iPod with her, so she picked Namie Amuro. I sang the English parts, and she did all the Japanese." Penelope informed them.

"I don't think they knew that I was fluent in Japanese." Paige said.

"Damn right we didn't, Rossi, how come you didn't tell us that she was a genius?" Derek replied.

"I didn't even know she spoke fluent Japanese! She told me she only knew some! And since when does Penelope listen to Japanese music?" Everyone laughed and made room for the other four to sit. They all ordered their meals.

Most of them had ordered burgers and fries with soda, and J.J. had ordered soup for Henry, along with some french fries. When it came time for Paige to order, she just tried to get by with a salad, but everyone made her order whatever she wanted.

"You guys, I'm really fine with a salad." she said.

"You don't want a thick juicy burger, with cheese and all the fixings, along with some crispy golden fries, and a cool, refreshing soda?" Rossi asked, using his profiling tactics on his daughter.

"Okay, okay, I'll order a burger." Paige said, giggling. "Shame on you, Dave, using your tactics on your own kid."

Everyone laughed at that. Rossi smiled at his daughter. He was really enjoying the bonding time. They all were.

They continued to chat, mostly about what school Paige would be attending. Neither Paige nor Rossi were completely sure what school she should go to.

"Well, when we get back to your house, I'll get on my laptop and track down the best schools in the district. Then you can visit them and narrow it down." Penelope said.

"Thanks Garcia," Rossi said. They all finished their meal and decided it was time to go back to work.

This time Prentiss and Morgan rode with Penelope and Paige, while Spencer rode with the rest. When they left the car and went into the house, the three girls were all laughing at a traumatized Morgan.

"What did they subject you to this time?" Rossi asked.

"You don't want to know." He answered. Rossi just looked at the girls quizzically, as they began singing. J.J. heard them and ran out to the group and joined in, laughing. All four girls were laughing and having fun, so Rossi let them be.

He motioned for Derek to leave them alone, because in his heart he knew that it would be good for Paige to laugh. Over the past week, she'd been terribly quiet, and he really wanted her to heal. Derek and Rossi left the girls to sing and dance and laugh. He had no idea what they were singing, but he figured they were enjoying themselves, so he didn't even bother asking.

A few minutes later, they decided that they should stop playing around and get to work, so Emily and J.J. took Henry to the kitchen; Reid and Morgan finished hauling boxes; Hotch and Rossi went to the second floor into a guest room; and Penelope followed Paige all the way up the stairs to help her decorate her room.

"You know Paige, I bet if you asked him, your dad would let you paint this room. What colors do you like?" Garcia said. Paige just shrugged.

"Come on, there's got to be some color you like." Penelope pressed.

"Well, I do like the moon and stars. And water." Paige said softly.

"See! You could do all blues." Penelope asked.

"Yeah, but that's a lot of work." Paige said.

"No, not really." Penelope said. "I'll be right back." Paige nodded and began to put her clothes in the closet.

Meanwhile, Penelope had tracked down Rossi. He was in one of the guest rooms.

"Rossi," she began.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"What do you think about totally redoing Paige's room?" She asked.

"I think that's a great idea, did she tell you she wanted to?" Rossi replied.

"I ran the idea past her and she seemed to want to. I would like to do a full room mural for her. Of the moon and stars and the ocean. Make it feel like night time on a Miami beach." Penelope said.

"That's a wonderful idea, Garcia. Get started on the design, and we'll find someone to paint it!" Rossi said.

"Yes sir, but there's still one thing. Where will she put all her posters?" Garcia asked.

"I suppose she could put them in here," he said, referring to the room they were in. "I'm turning it into her own personal office area, for studying. Do you think she'll like it?"

Garcia nodded, touched by his paternal skills. She dashed off to get her laptop. She sat in the kitchen, designing the mural and researching schools for Paige.

A few hours later, when the day's work was done, everyone was leaving. Penelope shared her finished design with Rossi and gave them the school list. Then she gave Penelope a hug and left them to have father-daughter time.


	12. Chapter 12

**All I own is Paige and the plot. CBS owns the rest.**

**Sorry for the wait, I was busy with graduation! I am officially done done done with high school!**

**Read and Review por favor!**

**-------------------------------------------------**

Paige and Rossi had spent the last three days visiting schools for Paige. They finally decided on the public school a few blocks away from the Bureau. That way, Paige could walk to the Bureau if she needed to.

The day was Monday, and Paige was starting school. Rossi took her to get some school supplies the previous day, and then he dropped her off, and went back to work.

Paige's day went fairly well, with easy classes, nice teachers, and friendly classmates. She did get lost a few times, but she managed to survive the day. When she was walking out of the school, she noticed Esther parked by the curb. Penelope was sitting there waiting. Paige went to the car and got in.

"Hey Penelope! Did everyone get called on a case?" She asked.

"Yeah, they did. But I've got something for you. Well, it's actually from your dad, but I picked it out."

"What?" Paige asked.

Penelope grabbed a little gift bag and handed it to Paige.

"What is it?" Paige asked.

"Open it, silly." Paige obeyed, opening the bag. She pulled out a cellphone box.

"I reminded your father before he left that you didn't have a cellphone, so he gave me his credit card and called the phone company so they would hook up another line on his plan. You have unlimited minutes, texting, and internet access. He also has provided a monthly allowance of ringtone and ringback tone downloads. I picked out the phone, do you like it?" Garcia told her.

"Yeah! It's great!" Paige said, looking at her new phone, which was a touch screen.

"Your dad also left you his credit card and info, so that if you need anything, you can go and get it." She said.

"Where are we going?" Paige asked.

"To your house so you can get your stuff, because you're spending the week at my house!" Garcia exclaimed.

"Why can't I stay at home?" Paige asked.

"Because, they have to spray for bugs, spiders, and the like." Garcia fibbed, with a fake shudder.

"Okay," Paige shrugged. They went to the house to get Paige's clothes for the week, and then to Garcia's.

Paige enjoyed her time at Penelope's apartment. When she wasn't in school, she spent all her time with Garcia. She texted and called Rossi a few times, and the rest of the team would call at random times to check up on her. She hung out in Garcia's "lair" and did homework until they went home. Finally, Friday arrived, and the team was still gone. That night, Penelope and Paige watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show and danced along with the Time Warp. Paige really enjoyed her time with Penelope. Penelope was like the big sister she'd always wanted.

Finally, Sunday morning came. The team had just finished the case and was on their flight. Paige was asleep on the couch at Penelope's when the phone call had come in.

"Hey boss, what's up?" Penelope had answered.

"_Hey Garcia, we're just landing."_ Came Hotch's voice. Garcia talked to Hotch for a few seconds longer before hanging up. Paige stirred in her sleep, then babbled something incoherent. Garcia laughed, figuring it was probably not English.

After about ten minutes of stirring and babbling in another language, Paige sat up, to find Penelope sitting next to her with a tape recorder.

"That's not at all creepy, Pen." Paige said, yawning.

"There is a reason, cupcake." Penelope said. "You talk in your sleep, but I can't understand it, and I was wondering what you were saying."

Paige just shook her head.

"Fine, play it back to me." Penelope pressed play, and Paige listened.

"What did you say?" Penelope asked.

"Something about a purple crocodile," Paige said, shaking her head. Penelope started giggling.

"Wow, you're odd. Okay, get up and get ready, the team gets back today." Penelope said.

Paige jumped up from the couch, and headed to take a shower. Twenty minutes later, she was showered, dressed, and was wearing makeup. She was wearing a lime green tanktop that was covered in black lace, a black mini skirt, and some knee high boots. Her hair was curled and she held part of it back with a bow that matched her shirt.

When she left the bathroom, Penelope hurried her out to the car. They drove to the Bureau, where the team was waiting. Paige gave Rossi an awkward hug.

"Thanks for the phone. I really like it." Paige whispered.

"No problem, kiddo." He said, gently rubbing her back. They all chatted for a few minutes, which was unusual for them, and then Hotch told them that their paperwork was due the next day. They all got everything they needed to do their paperwork, and they all went home. Rossi wanted to know all about Paige's week at school. They arrived home shortly.

"Hey, Paige, I have a surprise for you." Rossi said.

"Really?" Paige smiled.

"Yeah, one's in your room, and the other one I'll show you." He said. They pulled into the driveway and Paige darted into the house. She headed up the stairs to her room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw it. While she was at Penelope's, someone had redecorated her room. The ceiling was a navy color, with the stars painted in it, and her light fixture looked like the moon. The sky and stars continued down her walls before forming a horizon. From that point until the floor, the walls looked like the ocean. Her old bed had been replaced by a waterbed, and her whole room looked as if she had stepped right into the middle of the ocean. The carpet had even been replaced.

Paige gasped.

"It's beautiful!" She exclaimed. Rossi was behind her, watching her reaction. She giggled excitedly.

"Thank you!" She said.

"That's not all of the surprise. Come on downstairs." He said. She obeyed and followed him to the second floor. He opened the door to one of the guest rooms. She looked inside. He'd completely converted it into a study place for her. The shelves were lined with books, and on the desk was a brand new laptop setup. Her jaw dropped.

"No way!" She squealed.

"I figured you'd need it, especially over the next couple of months, and next year in college." He said. She turned to face him, tears rolling down her cheeks. She threw herself into his arms in a fierce hug.

"Nobody has ever done anything like this for me." She said. Rossi just held his daughter tight.

"Thanks Dad," she whispered.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the wait...I was busy with the last few days of Senior Year. I'm a grad now! I think I'm gonna hustle up the 'three months' for Paige to graduate because she's sort of a reflection of myself.**

**As ever, I don't own Criminal Minds. Sad me. Paige is mine though.**

**R&R please!! I love your feedback.**

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The next several weeks passed quickly for Paige. She studied hard, and any free-time she had was spent with Garcia, or her father. Occasionally, she went out to dinner with the whole team, and sometimes she would talk to them on the phone while they were away. She was settled into her new life, and although she missed her mother everyday, she was happy.

It was Friday, and she was supposed to be picked up. Her father had sent her a text message saying he would be in meetings, and Penelope was developing a program to help the FBI, so he would send Spencer. She stood on the sidewalk, looking for Reid. He honked at her from across the street. She looked both ways and ran across the street to jump into Spencer's SUV.

"Hey Paige," he said. She smiled at him.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked.

"Well, your dad doesn't even get off work until late, so he asked me to take you to do something. What do you want to go do?"

"Um, how about the library?" She asked. Spencer grinned from ear to ear.

"Yeah, that sounds great." He replied, then started to drive to the library.

Within a few minutes they were at the library, and Spencer was showing her where all the great books could be found. Both geniuses walked up and down each aisle, poring over the great selection. They finally sat down, both carrying a large stack of books. Paige began to read, but Spencer couldn't seem to concentrate. He'd been having that problem a lot lately.

Ever since the day he laid eyes on Paige, his mind had been in a whirl. She was pretty and mysterious, but at the same time, she was really smart, and she somehow understood him. He watched her read, her brow creased in concentration, her pretty pink tongue sticking out of her mouth a little. He blushed as she inhaled deeply.

"Paige," he squeaked. Her green eyes flicked up at him.

"Yeah?" She replied. He suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

"Nothing," he said. She smiled.

"Okay," Paige went back to her book. Reid tried to skim his eyes over the pages.

Then it was Paige who couldn't focus. She had been thinking about Reid ever since the day they met. He was cute, in a nerdy way, and she always thought it was funny when he got nervous and spouted statistics. He felt her eyes on him and looked up. She looked away, turning a pinkish color. He then realized that they were sitting close together on the sofa. He began to sweat.

"Paige?" He whispered. She looked up at him again with her big green eyes. That did it for him.

Spencer shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. He just stared at her for a few seconds, not knowing what to do. He expected her to get uncomfortable and look away, but she didn't. Her beautiful eyes remained fixated on him.

"Yes?" She finally whispered. Reid leaned in, and planted a soft, short kiss on her lips. She gasped.

"I'm sorry, Paige." He said, afraid he'd done something wrong. She touched her lips, staring at him.

"Again." She whispered.

"What?" He asked.

"Again, do that again." She said. He obeyed, leaning in to kiss her. She closed her eyes, and sighed. She kissed him back, softly at first. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck, dropping the book she had been reading. His hands found her lower back. She felt his tongue trace her lips. She pulled herself closer to him, and opened her mouth a little. His breath was hot in her mouth. She felt butterflies in her stomach. His tongue found its way into hers, caressing the roof of her mouth. She tangled her fingers through his hair. He groaned. Their tongues danced together for several moments, before they pulled away, breathless.

"Wow," she breathed. "What just happened?"

"I think we just made out in a library," he said.

"Um, now what?" Paige asked. "Do we just pretend it didn't happen? I mean I barely know you."

"Maybe that's best." He said. "I'm sorry, Paige."

"No, it's my fault. Um, can you take me home now?" She asked.

He could see the pain in her sparkling green eyes. He wanted to kiss her again, but he refrained.

"Yeah, come on." He said. They left the library, neither saying a word. They both got into the car.

"Huh, that's funny." Reid said as he started the engine.

"What's funny?" Paige asked.

"I'm almost out of gas. We'll have to stop and fill up, we can't make it to your house with the amount we have now." He said.

"Okay, so how's that funny?" Paige replied.

"I could've sworn I had a full tank yesterday morning." Reid told her.

"Maybe you just dreamed it. Anyways, let's go get gas so I can go home." She said. Reid nodded and drove to the nearest gas station.

As he was getting out to fill the gas tank, Paige sat in the car. Suddenly, someone came from the backseat and before she could scream, she was passed out.

Reid filled the tank, paid for the gas and got in the car. Before he could even turn the key, his world went black.


	14. Chapter 14

**All I own is Paige and the plot. R&R please!**

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Rossi left the FBI headquarters around ten that night. He'd tried Paige's cell a few times, but got no answer. He figured she must have been in the bathtub. She liked to soak in the bath for hours.

He got into his car, deciding to try Paige again. He got the answering machine.

"_Hey, this is Paige, I can't come to the phone right now, please leave a message."_ Her voicemail said before the beep.

"Hey Paige, it's Dad. I'm on my way home. I'll see you in a few." He said.

He started the car and headed home. He unlocked the door and hung his jacket in the closet.

"Paige! I'm home!" He called. No answer. He checked in every room of the house, even out in the hot tub. She was no where in the house. He called Penelope.

"_Garcia,"_ her voice came.

"Hey, is Paige with you?" He asked.

"_No, isn't she at home?"_ She replied.

"No, and she's not answering her phone."He said.

"_I thought Reid picked her up today." _She said.

"Right. I'll call him to see. I'll call you back if I find anything." He said. They hung up and he dialed Reid's number. No answer. He called Morgan.

_"Morgan."_

"Is Paige with you?"

_"Why would she be with me? I thought Reid picked her up."_

"She's not answering her phone, and neither is he. She's not at home, and she's not with Garcia."

_"I don't know, Rossi. I'll call the rest of the team and see if she's with them."_ Panic rose in both Morgan and Rossi.

"Thanks, call me if you find her." Rossi said, before hanging up. He made one more call, again to Garcia.

"Garcia, Reid isn't answering his phone. I need you to trace the location of both phones, and I'm calling the police." He said.

"_On it,"_ Garcia said, a knot forming in her stomach. A few minutes later, she had it.

"_Um, Rossi. It says that they're in the river. Not by it, in it."_

"Send the coordinates to my GPS, and to the police too. I'm calling now." He said.

After a few moments, he had the location of Reid and Paige, and the police and search and rescue team were all looking for Reid and Paige. He followed them.

When they got to the river, divers went down at the exact location. When they came up, all they had were the two cell phones, wrapped in plastic bags.

"Oh no!" Rossi said, tears forming. The rest of the team had shown up to help.

"Look at it this way, Dave," Hotch began. "If she's not there, that means she could still be alive."

"I don't want anybody to stop until they find my daughter," Rossi bellowed. "I don't care what it takes, find my kid!"

Just then his phone rang.

"_Agent Rossi. I hear from a very reliable source that you want your daughter back. Is that so?" _Came a deep voice.

"Who the hell is this? Give me back my kid! And Reid too!" He shouted into the phone.

"_I'm afraid I can't do that." _The voice said. Meanwhile, Garcia, with her laptop was trying to trace the call.

"Sir, there's nothing. The signal is bouncing all over the place." She whispered.

"What do you want?" Rossi shouted.

_"Your daughter of course. She's really cute. I think I'll have fun with her."_ He said.

"Don't you lay a hand on Paige! Do you hear me! If you so much as touch my daughter, I will tear you limb from limb!" Rossi said.

_"You can't blame me, can you? Your daughter has an excellent body. I'm going to enjoy touching every inch of it."_

"NO!" Rossi yelled. Hotch took the phone from him.

"Hotch, give me back the phone! Dammit! I want Paige back."

"Your anger is exactly what he wants. Don't show your emotion, and he'll be more likely to make a mistake." Hotch whispered to Rossi, then began to speak into the phone.

"This is Agent Aaron Hotchner. Exactly what do you want? Money, pardon, what?"

_"Revenge."_


	15. Chapter 15

**All I own is Paige and plot. R&R please**

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Paige woke up to a throbbing pain in her head. She sat up, a wave of nausea washing over her. She was in a small dark room, and her wrists and ankles were tied.

"Dad?" She called out in a quiet, hoarse voice.

"Paige?" came Spencer's voice, from close by.

"Spencer? What happened?" She asked. He sat up next to her, his ankles and wrists tied up as well.

"I don't know," he said. "Are you okay?"

"I think so, I have a headache, and I'm dizzy." She told him.

"It's from the drugs they used." He said.

"Drugs? Spencer, I'm scared. I want to go home." She said. He scooted close to her, so that their shoulders were touching.

"It's gonna be okay, Paige. I promise." Just then, the door opened, letting in blinding light.

"Come on, little lady. We're going to have some fun." Said the figure, who then grabbed Paige by the arm and pulled her up. He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, then left Spencer in darkness.

Spencer sat in the darkness, afraid of the sounds he might hear, but refusing to turn his back on Paige. He listened, cringing with every sound of a hand connecting with skin, every scream that tore from Paige's lips, the sound of material ripping. It seemed like he had to listen to it for ages, before the door opened again and Paige was thrown in on the floor. In the brief second that the door was open, Spencer gathered that they were in a closet. He quickly turned his attention to Paige, her sobs tearing at his heart.

"Paige, what did he do to you?" Spencer asked, quickly trying to untie his wrists. After a few minutes he was successful. He then went to work on his ankles. Untying his ankles was fairly easy, now that his hands were free. He felt for Paige in the darkness.

"Paige, listen to me." He said. Her sobs decreased somewhat, after she felt his hand on her face.

"Spencer, he hit me." She said. He felt blood seeping out of her forehead.

"Did he touch you? You know..." Spencer couldn't finish it.

"He touched me with his hands, but he didn't r-rape me." She said. Spencer, he took my shirt and my pants. I'm so cold now."

He felt her shiver. He quickly took off his shirt and draped it over her.

"I want to sleep Spencer." She croaked.

"Paige, listen to me. You can't sleep. I'm afraid you might have a concussion. You have to stay awake." He told her.

"But Spencer," she said, her eyes closing.

Spencer gently shook her.

"Listen to me, Paige." His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he could see her eyes open again. "About what happened at the library. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry that you kissed me?" She asked.

"No. I'm sorry that I lied." He replied.

"What are you talking about?" She shivered again, so he pulled her to his chest.

"When you asked me if I wanted to pretend it never happened, I lied. I really don't want to pretend that, Paige. I just want to kiss you like that all the time." He said.

"Then why did you lie?" She asked.

"I don't know, I got scared." He said. "But now I'm scared that I'll lose you, and I can't ignore my feelings for you." Spencer whispered, then placed a gentle kiss into her hair.

"Spencer," she whispered.

"What?"

"Promise me something?"

"What is it Paige?" Spencer asked.

"Promise me that when we get out of here, that those words will be just as true then as they are now?" She pleaded.

"I promise Paige, I promise." He breathed into her ear. Then he laid a soft, gentle kiss on her bleeding lips. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him, protecting her. Before he could stop himself, he was asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**All I own is Paige and the plot. Everything else belongs to CBS.**

**R&R please.**

David Rossi was running on zero hours of sleep and about twenty cups of very strong, highly caffeinated coffee. He sat in Penelope's office, waiting for calls, in case any came. Penelope was focusing intently on her task: to track the previous locations of Reid and Paige's phones. She clapped her hands, bringing Rossi out of his stupor.

"Aha!" She exclaimed.

"What did you find, Garcia?" Rossi asked, feeling hopeful.

"Before the cell phones were dumped in the river, they had been at the gas station, which I am assuming is where Reid and Paige were nabbed, and before that, the library." She said.

"Pull the security footage from both the library parking lot and the gas station." He ordered.

"On it." Penelope replied.

Just then, Rossi's cell phone rang. David calmly flipped it open.

"Hello?"

_"Ah, so we speak again."_

"Is Paige okay?"

_"I knocked her around a little, and I really enjoyed caressing her. She looks great in Victoria Secret."_

"Is she okay?" Rossi repeated, trying to remain calm.

_"She's fine. The dorky agent is watching over her. Looks like I've got some competition."_

"When are you going to let her go?"

_"I'm not. Unless of course, you're willing to make a deal."_

"What is it that you want."

_"My sister. But that's not going to happen."_

"And why not?"

_"Because my sister is dead. And it's your fault."_

"How is it my fault."

_"Because you didn't catch him before he killed her. If you would have caught him, she'd still be alive."_

"Caught who?"

_"Figure it out. I'll give you a clue, he kidnapped her, and he had her when you caught him.."_

Then there was silence. Penelope immediately began running checks against cases where the final victim was found with the UnSub.

"That's twenty cases, sir." Penelope said.

"Narrow it down to the ones where the final victim was female." He ordered.

"Eighteen."

"Cross-check siblings."

"Twelve."

"Brothers?"

"Seven cases."

"Check to see if any of those brothers have started behaving suspiciously within the last several months."

"Okay". Penelope said.

"I'm going to talk to the team." Rossi said, then left.

It was then that Penelope allowed herself to break down.


	17. Chapter 17

**All I own is Paige and the plot. The rest belongs to CBS.**

**Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you're all enjoying this story!**

Derek Morgan rubbed his temples. It had been exactly 24 hours since Paige and Reid had been nabbed. He worried about them. In the last few years, Reid had become like a little brother to him. He might have enjoyed picking on the young genius, but deep down, he'd always cared. And Paige, although he didn't know her as well as he knew Reid, he loved her like a sister. She'd become just as much of a sister as Sarah and Desiree were. He hoped she was still alive.

He walked into Garcia's bunker, hoping that she'd found something. When he entered, all he heard were her sobs.

"Baby Girl?" He asked.

"Hey," she said between sobs. He rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest.

"Baby, you have to be strong. For Reid and for Paige. We need your skills. We need you to find them." He said. She slowly regained her composure, and allowed him to wipe her tears.

"Thanks, handsome. Will you sit with me while I work on this?" She asked.

"Always, baby girl." He replied.

She began to type rapidly, and for several minutes he had no clue what she was doing. Finally he got a clue.

"Eureka!" She exclaimed.

"Pen, what did you find?" He asked.

"Well, I ran the videos from the library parking lot, and I searched for anyone that went near Reid's car, and I found this." Penelope showed Derek a picture. "And when I ran him through our records, I found out that his name is James Monroe. Brother to Jade Monroe who was killed three months ago. On one of the BAU's cases." She said.

"I love you Garcia." He said, then kissed her on the cheek. She blushed.

She printed out all the information on James Monroe and the two went to the bullpen to inform the team.

Derek and Penelope rounded everyone up and within moments, they were up to speed. Hotch dashed off to get a search warrant, while everyone else got ready to go to Monroe's house, which was an hour from Quantico. Hotch decided to meet them there. Within moments, everyone was in their vehicles and off to rescue Paige.


	18. Chapter 18

**All I own is Paige and the plot. Everything else is property of CBS. R&R please.**

**Some of you are asking for more Rossi/Paige interaction, so hopefully this chapter will help!**

Rossi could feel the fear twisting in his gut all the way to Monroe's house. It felt like some sort of sick, demented creature writhing inside him, trying to tear its way out. He kept hoping and praying that she was still okay. She had to be okay.

Emily, who was sitting next to him, must have read the fear on his face, because she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Paige is going to be fine," she said, hoping that what she had just said was true.

The hour long drive to Monroe's house seemed to drag for all of them. Finally, they arrived at a small house on a quiet street. It looked just like an ordinary, innocent house. But it wasn't innocent. Quickly, the team surrounded it, a few agents at every entrance.

"James Monroe? FBI!" yelled Hotch, who had just arrived.

Inside the house, a frightened Paige and Reid were locked in the closet. Just a few hours earlier, James Monroe had beaten them and left. Reid had slipped into unconsciousness, and Paige was still fighting when she heard the team outside.

"Dad!" Paige cried. Just then, she heard someone kick down the door.

"Clear!" Morgan shouted after ensuring that no one was in the living room. The rest of the team searched the house for James Monroe. He was no where to be found.

"Morgan! Dad! We're in here!" Paige shouted hoarsely. Emily was the one who opened the door to the closet.

"Get two ambulances! I found them!" She yelled. The rest of the team came running.

"Paige, sweetheart, we're going to get you out of here," Rossi said, with tears in his eyes. His face went white when he saw her cuts and bruises and that she was half-naked.

"Where's Monroe?" He asked. "When I get my hands on that man, I am going to kill him, and no one will ever find the pieces!"

"Dave, calm down." Hotch said sternly.

"I don't want to calm down! This man hurt my daughter! I want to kill him!" Rossi said, then decided to go outside to blow off some steam. Sirens could be heard in the distance.

Emily sat next to Paige, holding her hand, and Hotch covered her with his jacket. The ambulance arrived shortly, and Rossi let the EMTs into the house. Several minutes later, Paige and Reid were loaded into ambulances, and on their way to the hospital.

Rossi decided to drive to the hospital himself, while J.J. and Emily rode with Spencer and Paige, and Hotch and Morgan took one SUV, and Rossi drove Hotch's.

He was driving down the highway, following the ambulance, when he had to pull over. Once he was safely on the shoulder of the highway, he just broke down and cried.


	19. Chapter 19

**All I own is Paige and plot…rest belongs to CBS. Hope you're all enjoying this! Thanks for all the reviews!**

**Here in the next few chapters I think that Paige is going to have a birthday, because as I've said before, she's a reflection of myself and my birthday is June 17****th****…which is tomorrow! So she sorta needs to turn 18.**

David Rossi walked through the emergency room doors with red-rimmed eyes. The rest of the team was already sitting in the waiting room. Emily was seated between Hotch and J.J., with Morgan on the other side of J.J. Hotch was discreetly holding Emily's hand, while Morgan had a brotherly arm around J.J. They looked worried. They looked up when Rossi entered the waiting room.

"Dave, are you alright?" Hotch asked. Rossi nodded quietly, and went to sit next to Hotch. They all sat in the waiting room in silence, anxious to hear any news on Paige and Reid.

Thirty minutes later, Garcia came through the door.

"Any news?" She asked. They all shook their heads. Frowning, Garcia sat down next to Morgan, and leaned her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead.

"It's gonna be okay Baby Girl." He said softly.

After waiting for a few hours, the doctor came out.

"Paige Haller and Spencer Reid." She said questioningly. The whole team stood up.

"Well, Miss Haller has some bruising, and a few lacerations. She was not raped, but he did touch her and she may be very sensitive to any male presence over the next while. However, that depends on the person. She is dehydrated so we'll be keeping her here for a few days to make sure that she gets enough fluids. Dr. Reid is in a much better condition. He's mildly dehydrated, and he should be able to leave tomorrow." She explained.

"Doctor, can we see them now?" Rossi asked.

"Paige is still sleeping, but Dr. Reid is awake. When you go sit with Paige, I strongly encourage that only women go in the room. When she wakes up, one of you can ask if she'd like to see the rest of you." The team nodded.

Penelope and Emily decided to go sit with Paige, while Rossi lingered outside.

The rest of the team went to go visit with Reid, who seemed to be his normal self. The only change was that he was very worried about Paige.

Penelope held Paige's hand while she slept, and every passing minute pained Rossi. He was afraid of the psychological effects the past few days would have on his daughter.

Hours passed, but to everyone, they seemed like days, especially for Rossi.

Finally, around two in the morning, Paige's eyes fluttered open.

"Penelope? What happened?" She asked.

"We found you, cupcake. You're going to be just fine." Penelope said, smoothing her hair.

"Where's Dad?" Paige asked, looking around the room.

Rossi rushed in, smiling.

**Crappy chapter, but I sort of rushed. Sorry.**


	20. Chapter 20

**I don't own Criminal mnds. Paige however, is mine.**

**Sorry for the long wait…my internet was down and I just now got it back.**

The second Rossi stepped through the door, Paige sat up and held her arms out for a hug. Rossi wrapped his arms around her in a hug, letting the tears fall. She began to cry as she realized that she was safe, that her dad was there, and that he would continue to be.

Emily and Penelope tiptoed out of the room with tears in their eyes, letting Rossi and Paige have their emotional father-daughter moment. Out in the hall, J.J. approached them. She became alarmed when she saw them crying.

"Is she okay?" J.J. asked, worried.

"She's going to be fine." Penelope said, and gestured into the room. J.J. watched as Paige hugged her father.

"The first person she wanted when she woke up was her father." Emily said.

"Oh, thank God!" J.J. said, joining the other two in crying. All three women hugged out in the hallway, relieved that Paige was awake and okay.

"I hope this means that she's not going to be sensitive to male presence. She's doing okay with Rossi, I think she'll be okay with the rest of the guys on the team." Emily thought aloud.

The doctor came to check on Paige. She smiled at the sight of Paige and her father. She took Paige's vitals.

"Well, it looks like you're going to be just fine, dear." She said. "But you should get some rest."

"Yeah, I'm exhausted." Paige replied, yawning. "Daddy, you look like you haven't been sleeping. You should go home and sleep."

"I'm not leaving," he said stubbornly. "I'm staying here."

"Daddy, if you stay here, I won't be able to sleep. And if I don't sleep, I know you won't either. And we'll both be a mess." Paige told him.

"Rossi, we've gotten rooms at a hotel. Paige will be fine. She's got police protection. And Reid is here too. He's up. I think he wants to sit with her for a while later." J.J. said.

"Okay." Rossi replied. "Only if you promise to rest, Paige."

"I promise, Daddy. I love you." She smiled weakly at her father.

"I love you, too. Good night." He kissed the top of her head.

"Night," Paige closed her eyes.

It was only after they left that she allowed herself to cry.


	21. Chapter 21

As ever, I don't own anything except Paige and plot. The rest is the genius work of the writers.

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Paige tossed and turned in the hospital bed. It just wasn't the same as her bed at home, and she didn't feel safe without her dad or her friends. She pressed the call button.

The nurse came through the door.

"Is there something wrong?" A short, plump nurse asked.

"I can't sleep, I'm scared." Paige admitted, with tears in her eyes. The nurse looked at her sympathetically.

"Would you like a mild sedative?" The nurse asked.

"No, if I fall asleep he might come back." Paige said.

"You do need your rest."

"Is Dr. Spencer Reid awake?" Paige asked.

"I don't know, let me check with his nurse." The nurse replied.

The heavy-set nurse left the room, leaving a frightened and tired Paige. Paige sighed and tried to relax. A few minutes later, Reid was pushed through the door in a wheelchair.

"Hey, Paige." He said quietly.

"Hey Spencer," Paige replied. He wheeled up next the bed.

"I hope I'm not bothering you right now." Paige whispered.

"Oh, no you, not at all. I was just reading." Spencer told her.

"What were you reading?" Paige asked him.

"Shakespeare's sonnets. I can read them to you if you'd like. My mother read to me when I was scared, and I would feel better. Maybe you will too?" Spencer suggested.

"I'd like that." Paige nodded, leaning back into the pillows. Spencer reached for the book that he'd knowingly brought with him. Paige relaxed into each word he read from the paper. Her eyes grew heavy, and within minutes she was sound asleep. Spencer stopped reading and smiled over at her. Despite the bruises on her face and body, and the few cuts and scrapes here and there, she was still pretty. He reached over and ran his hand across her short, messy hair.

"Dr. Reid, you should get back to your own bed now." The nurse told him. He nodded, then brushed his lips across Paige's forehead. Then he left her room, leaving her to sleep peacefully.

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A/N: Sorry for the long wait, folks. Started college and have been super busy. But I will definitely add some more chapters this weekend!


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: All I own is Paige and the plot. The rest belongs to CBS.

I'm a bad author, I don't update frequently, and therefore don't deserve reviews. However, please show mercy and review anyways! :D Enjoy!

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Rossi was sleeping peacefully for the first time since before Paige went missing. His chest moved up and down with his even, rhythmic breaths. His eyes fluttered while he dreamed. Then something from his subconscious shocked him awake.

They still hadn't caught the UnSub.

Rossi reached for his cell phone and dialed Garcia.

"Garcia," came her groggy answer.

"What have you got on James Monroe?" He asked.

"Rossi, we've got to stop having these late night conversations, people will start to talk." She teased.

"Garcia! Focus!" He yelled.

"Sorry, on it. I'll call you as soon as I find more on him." She said.

Rossi closed his phone and slipped out of bed. He quickly showered and threw on his clothes, before leaving the hotel and heading back out to the house where Paige and Reid were held.

He arrived at the house about fifteen minutes later. He snapped a pair of gloves onto his hands and opened the front door.

The forensics team had gone over everything with a fine-tooth comb, in hopes of finding a clue as to Monroe's whereabouts. They had found nothing. Rossi figured another sweep couldn't hurt.

His phone rang. He removed it from his breast pocket and flipped it open.

"Rossi," came his curt greeting.

"I've got something." Garcia said.

"And? Are you gonna tell me?" Rossi snapped.

"Yes, um, our James Monroe does not actually exist. Well, he did, but he doesn't anymore."

"Explanation?"

"Well, I dug more through his records, and I found out that he has a girlfriend in Little Creek."

"That explains why he knew about Paige. I took her out to the Little Creek house on the weekends I was home. He was probably watching us."

"Probably. And I've got an address."

"Good, I'll go question the girlfriend."

"Already got something better."

"What?"

"Monroe's cell phone number. And I've used the GPS tracker and confirmed that the phone is at her house. I'm sending the coordinates to your phone now." Garcia said.

"Thanks Garcia."

"No problem."

Rossi closed his phone and within minutes the coordinates were on his phone. He called the rest of the team and told them to meet him at his house in Little Creek and to bring backup. They agreed and then Rossi was on his way.

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A/N: Okay, another chapter up tonight. Sometime within the next couple of days I will be uploading more and also updating my other Criminal Minds story. My muse has finally returned to me. I should also work in a little writing time for my novels.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Still don't own the show. But I do own Paige and the plot.

I sure hope y'all are enjoying this so far. I really like writing it. And reading reviews. *hint hint*

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Paige's eyes flew open as a nightmare attacked her senses. She had found herself back in that house, cold and half naked, while his hands had caressed her gently, suddenly becoming violent. His fists rained down on her, beating her until she bled.

Once she had opened her eyes, she realized that she was in the hospital, surrounded by security guards and police. No one that wasn't authorized would enter her room. But she still didn't feel safe.

Spencer walked into her room, and sat on the side of the bed. He grabbed her hand, having seen the pain and fear in her eyes.

"Did they find him yet?" She asked.

"Well, Garcia found his phone. And they're on their way now."

"I know Daddy will catch him." Paige whispered.

"Of course he will." Spencer replied, tracing little circles on the back of her hand.

"Spencer?" Paige asked.

"Yes, Paige?" He answered.

"Did you really mean what you said when we were, you know," She asked him.

Spencer leaned down and touched his lips to hers.

"Yes." He said smiling. He stroked her cheek gently. She reached up and held his hand to her face, leaning into his palm. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his skin against hers.

"Paige, I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"I let this happen to you, I should have been more careful."

"It's not your fault, Spencer. I don't blame you."

"I know. But as your boyfriend, I should be able to protect you and I wasn't." Spencer replied.

"Boyfriend?" Paige asked.

"Well, I am aren't I? I mean, we're certainly acting like a couple, we should call ourselves a couple."

"Okay," Paige said smiling. She reached up and slid her hand behind Spencer's neck, pulling him towards her. She sat up a bit and allowed him to wrap his arms around her. She looked deep into his eyes, and he into hers. She pulled him down a little further to close the gap between their mouths. She worked her other hand into his hair, pulling him even closer. His tongue soon found hers, and they explored each other's mouth.

Reid maneuvered himself so he could lay down next to her, their mouths never breaking contact. His left hand moved down to her waist, pulling her hips towards his. His lips left hers for a moment to kiss her ears and neck before she pulled his mouth back to hers.

Someone coughed from the doorway. It was Garcia.

"Pen, um, hey." Paige said awkwardly while Spencer quickly moved into a sitting position.

"Hey, Garcia," he said, blushing. "We were just, um--"

"Sucking face in a hospital? Yeah, I got that." Garcia teased.

"What do you know?" Reid asked, changing the subject.

"I sent them off to Little Creek. To Monroe's girlfriend's house. They said they'd call when they got him."

"What time was that."

"Earlier this morning, at around six. Rossi called me at 3 this morning to work on the case." Garcia said.

Spencer nodded. Paige's stomach growled loudly. She blushed.

"I guess someone needs to eat some breakfast." Spencer commented.

"I guess so," Paige said. Since Garcia had entered the room, the mood had shifted from passionate to extremely awkward. Spencer slid his hand over Paige's and pushed the call button.

"What can I do for you?" The nurse, this time a slender blonde with green eyes asked.

"Paige needs some breakfast." Spencer stated.

"Alright, let me go get you something."

The nurse disappeared for a while, and when she returned she had a plate of French toast, fruit and a bottle of apple juice.

"That looks good," Paige said. "Thank you."

Penelope stood and stretched.

"I think I'll go back to the police department and work on the case. Paige needs to eat and rest." Penelope said, heading over to hug her friend.

"Thanks for the update, Pen." Paige said. Penelope nodded before breaking away from her friend.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Penelope told her, kissing her forehead.

"Me too." Paige replied. "Oh, and Pen?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you not tell anybody about me and Spencer just yet? I want to tell my dad."

"Of course, Cupcake." Penelope said, grinning. She waved goodbye to Reid, before leaving the couple. She looked back at them when she reached the door, to see Reid's hand intertwined with Paige's, while she ate. She smiled at her two, happy, safe friends and then headed for the police department.

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A/N: Okay, there's a new chapter. This one isn't so good as I was running out of ideas, and the fact that it's 2 in the morning. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy it.


	24. Chapter 24

As ever, all I own is Paige and the plot. The rest belongs to CBS.

Here's another chapter for y'all. Please read and review! Even though I don't deserve it.

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Hotch and Rossi walked up to the door of Stephanie Crane's house. Emily and Derek were hiding in the bushes, while the police were surrounding the house. Rossi pounded on the door.

A slender woman of about thirty opened the door. She had dishwater blonde hair and piercing green eyes. She was fairly plain, but there was something pretty about her. She ran a hand through her hair and smoothed the front of her pajamas.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Stephanie Crane, we're Special Agents Aaron Hatcher and David Rossi, FBI. We're looking for James Monroe." Hotch said, and he and Rossi flashed their badges.

"Jimmy? Is he in some kind of trouble?" She asked.

"I'll say." Rossi replied. Aaron nudged for him to be quiet.

"What my partner means is that Mr. Monroe may have witnessed a kidnapping and we'd like to talk to him." Hotch said.

"Oh, well, he's not here. I'll call his cell phone for you." Stephanie offered, pulling out her cell phone. She pressed a few buttons, then held the phone to her ear. A phone rang from somewhere in the house.

"Huh, seems he left his phone here." She said.

"Did he say where he was going?" Hotch asked.

"Yeah, he said a few friends of his were in the hospital. The hospital's about ten minutes from here." Stephanie told them.

"Paige." Rossi said, then took off for the car.

"Thank you for your time Miss Crane." Hotch said, then followed his partner. Derek and Emily weren't far behind.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Paige was listening to Spencer read to her from the sonnets. She was laying on her side, her hands by her face. Spencer was sitting next to her, a hand resting on her lower back. She looked up at him with love in her sparkling, green eyes. A small smile was plastered on her face as she listened to him read. He noticed her staring at him and stopped reading.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing. I just like watching your face when you're reading. It's so cute." Paige replied.

"Yes, I'm sure it is!" Came another man's voice.

"Spencer! It's him!" Paige cried, seeing James Monroe's figure in the door.

"Yes, it's me." He replied.

"Paige, don't worry, I'm not going to let him hurt you. Not this time. I promise." Spencer said.

"You may not have a choice!" Monroe said, aiming a gun at them.

"Oh, Spencer!" Paige cried, burying her face into Spencer's chest.

Spencer wrapped his arms around her tightly, then pulled his gun from his pocket.

"You think that will save you? I can shoot you just as fast as you can shoot me." Monroe said, before being hit in the arm with a bullet. He cried in pain, and fell to the floor.

"Spencer! You shot him?" Paige asked, terrified.

"No, I didn't." Spencer replied, confused.

Rossi ran into the room, gun drawn. He found Monroe doubled over on the ground, clutching his arm. Rossi put his gun away, and kicked Monroe in the side. A doctor came to take him to get patched up, and the rest of the team followed to make sure he was arrested.

"Are you guys okay?" Rossi asked, rushing to his daughter's side. Paige reached out for her father, throwing her arms around his neck. Spencer backed away from them quietly.

"Daddy! You got him." Paige said, as her father held her close.

"I'll see you later," Spencer mouthed to Paige. She nodded.

"No one's gonna hurt you again, Paige." Rossi said, holding his daughter tightly.

"I know, Daddy." Paige replied.

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A/N: Well, what do you think? I'm really working hard on getting some more stuff out there for y'all! But I need some feedback! Let me know what you want to see happen next and I'll see what I can do!


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: As ever, I don't own anything except Paige and the plot.

A/N: I know some of you were curious as to why Rossi didn't shoot to kill, and that will be explained in this chapter. Read and review please!

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Paige was sleeping peacefully again, her dad at her side this time. He held her hand, glad that she was finally safe. He looked up as Hotch entered the room.

"Hey, Dave, how is she?" He asked.

"She'll be okay. The doctors say she can go home in a few days." Rossi replied.

"Monroe is in interrogation now. His arm is hurt, but he'll definitely be able to go to court. Unless we get a full confession out of him." Hotch told his colleague. "You were right not to kill him."

"Oh, I had every intention of killing him. I ran up those stairs, gun drawn, prepared to take a head shot. But then I thought of Paige, and she's already been through so much, I didn't think she needed to see her father kill someone." Rossi said.

"And you were worried about being a good father." Hotch smiled.

"Yeah." Rossi looked over at his daughter. Her hair was a little messy, the faded blue streaks in a tangled mess with the rest of her hair.

"She's gonna be okay now." Hotch said.

"I know. I just haven't been here with her, you know?" Rossi replied.

"I know." Hotch said stepping out.

Just then Spencer tip-toed in, knowing that Paige was asleep.

"How is she?" He asked.

"She'll be just fine." Rossi replied, looking at the young genius. Spencer smiled faintly.

"Thanks, Reid." Rossi said.

"For what?" The youthful doctor asked.

"For sitting her with her the past few days. She said you came down her and read to her so she could sleep. Once again you were with her when she needed someone. You're a good friend to her." Rossi answered.

Spencer nodded, knowingly. The two men watched Paige in silence.


	26. Chapter 26

All I own is Paige. The rest belongs to Criminal Minds.

I know it's been like forever since I've updated, but my computer hasn't been working, and I've been extremely busy. So please have mercy on me and read and review…please.

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It had been a few weeks since Paige and Spencer's rescue, and things were starting to get back to normal. Paige was back in school, getting ready for graduation. She had been going to therapy on a weekly basis, on her father's orders, as had Spencer. Things were running really smoothly. Paige and Spencer were still sort of seeing each other, but because Paige was only 17, they had decided not to tell the rest of the team until she was 18. They didn't really spend that much time together, due to Spencer's job and Paige's school. They did however, spend a lot of time texting and talking on the phone in their free time.

And now it was the night of Paige's graduation. That night, she and the team were all going out to dinner, then to Paige's graduation ceremony. Penelope, J.J. and Emily had spent an hour and a half doing Paige's hair and makeup. Finally, at 5:00 p.m., Paige was ready. Her hair, which had been dyed back to her natural black color just a few weeks earlier, fell into soft curls to her shoulder. Her pouty lips were coated in a sheer pink gloss, and her eyes were darkly lined with a brownish color eyeshadow. She and the ladies of the BAU had gone shopping for a dress and shoes a week earlier, and she was now clad in a short black and pink dress that clung to her small waist and showed off her legs, while still being modest. On her feet were simple black heels with pink accents. Around her neck was a pretty pink heart necklace. She was simply pretty, and all that was missing was the cap and gown, which she would put on right after dinner.

J.J, Garcia and Emily all went downstairs ahead of her, giving her a few seconds to herself. She looked in the mirror and smiled at herself. She sat down on the bed, looking at a picture of her and her mom.

"I hope I'm making you proud, Mom." She whispered.

"I know she's proud of you, kiddo." A choked up Rossi said from the doorway. "Because I am."

A little tear rolled down Paige's cheek and she ran up to her father and hugged him.

"Don't cry, you'll ruin your makeup or whatever." Rossi told her.

"I love you, Dad." Paige said.

"I love you, too." He replied. "There's something I want you to have."

Rossi pulled a little box from his back pocket and handed it to her. She opened it, revealing a gold ring with three diamonds on it, one large diamond with two smaller ones surrounding it. She lifted it from its case and studied it, noticing that "David and Casey" was engraved inside.

"Is this--" Paige stopped.

"Yes. That was your mother's ring while we were married. I loved your mother so much, she was the one that got away. I want you to have it. She would want you to have it. Paige slipped the ring onto her tiny middle finger. She hugged her father again.

"Come on, you guys!" Emily called up the stairs. "Our reservations are for 5:30! It's 5:10!"

Rossi headed down the stairs while Paige looked at her appearance once more.

Rossi got to the bottom of the stairs.

"I now present to you, our graduating senior!" He announced. Paige came down the stairs smiling.

Garcia began snapping pictures right and left. Hotch smiled a little bit. Emily, J.J. and Will clapped while Henry gurgled happily.

Derek whistled jokingly. "Congratulations, Grad. You're lookin' pretty in that dress, I'll probably have to take my gun to the ceremony, because all the boys are gonna be chasin' you!"

Spencer was speechless. Paige blushed.

"Come on! We'll be late and lose our table!"

They all piled into three SUV's and drove to the restaurant. They got there just in time, and were seated. They all ordered nice meals, and chatted while they ate. After they were done eating, the waitress brought out a cake that J.J. had dropped off earlier. It was a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and it said "Congratulations, Paige! We're so proud of you! Love, the big crazy family."

"Aw, you guys!" Paige exclaimed. Hotch, Derek, J.J., Garcia, and Emily all handed Paige cards.

Paige opened Hotch's card first, which was a simple card that had a hippo in graduation garb on the front that said "For a great Grad". Inside, was a 50 dollar bill, and the card said "Congratulations! Love Hotch and Jack." Jack had drawn a picture for Paige. Paige had baby-sat for Hotch a few times before, and little Jack loved Paige.

Next, Paige opened Garcia's card. It was colorful and frilly and said "My best friend is graduating, so I'm showering her with love, congratulations, appreciation…" on the front, and on the inside, behind the $25 iTunes gift card it said "…and tons of glitter, fuzz, and colors of course!" Below that, Garcia had written "To Paige, one of my closest friends. I'm so proud of all you have achieved and I love you forever! Love, Penelope."

The rest of the cards were all similar, with messages of "Congrats Grad!" on the front and "I'm proud of you." on the inside, each card was simple and sweet and of course, there was money inside.

Paige hugged everyone tightly.

"Thanks guys! I love you all too!" She squealed. They cut the cake and quickly ate a piece each. It was 6:30, and everyone loaded up to get to the ceremony. Spencer and Paige were the only one's left behind.

"I have a gift for you." Spencer said awkwardly. He pulled out a little box. Paige opened it, and inside was a little silver charm bracelet. From it hung a single silver heart.

"Congratulations," he whispered, his voice cracking.

He lifted the bracelet out of the box and put it on Paige's wrist, his hands shaking the whole time. Paige looked into his eyes.

"Thank you, Spencer. It's beautiful." She placed a gentle kiss on his lips. He deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist. The kiss was cut short, however, when Garcia came running back into the restaurant.

She cleared her throat obnoxiously.

"Come on, lovebirds, get your butts out to the car, we're gonna be late!" She said.

Spencer cleared his throat awkwardly and left, leaving Paige and Garcia.

"Pen, please don't say anything to Dad. He'll be mad, I think." She said.

"Hon, we aren't stupid. We've all been expecting it since you two met. And we all pretty much know. It's a little obvious, darling." She said. Paige smiled at her. "But, I'm not going to tell him."

They left the restaurant and rushed to the school for the ceremony.

Paige donned her cap and gown in the car, and when they arrived, she lined up with her classmates and prepared to walk in. They all walked in and sat in their places for the speech. Paige looked into the family section and saw her father, Hotch, Garcia, Spencer, Derek, Will, J.J., Henry and Emily. They all waved at her and smiled. The ceremony went beautifully, and when it came to walking across the stage, no one tripped. When Paige's name was called, there was a loud cheer from her family.

After the ceremony, they all went back to Rossi's house to eat more cake.

"Paige, I have another present for you, kiddo." Rossi said. "Everyone, let's go outside, I want you all to see it."

"My gift is outside?" Paige asked incredulously.

"Well, it's a little too big to fit in the house," Rossi replied.

Rossi covered Paige's eyes and led her outside. The rest followed them. Once outside, Rossi uncovered his daughter's eyes. She squealed when she saw her gift. A little black Jeep Wrangler was sitting in the driveway.

"No way!" She said, running up to it. "This is for me?"

"Sure is, why don't you jump in and take it for a test drive?" Rossi suggested.

"Oh my goodness, yes!" Paige said.

"Penelope, why don't you go with to make sure she doesn't crash in her excitement." Rossi suggested.

"Okay!" Penelope squealed then ran to the Jeep. She jumped in and she and Paige took off. Twenty minutes later they were back.

"Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! This is so awesome! I love it! I'm giving it a name and everything! His name is Leonard." Paige gushed.

"Whoa, kiddo! I think we gave you too much sugar. We'll put Leonard in the garage and go back inside now, okay?"

"Okay." Paige said, still excited. They opened the garage and Paige drove the Jeep in.

An hour later, Paige and Rossi were saying goodbye to everyone. Paige went upstairs to put on her pajamas, then she came down to the kitchen. She started cleaning up the dishes. Rossi came down.

"What are you doing, kiddo?" Rossi asked.

"It's late, we'll do this tomorrow. You should go to bed." Rossi told her.

"Okay. Good night, Daddy. I had the best day." Paige said, hugging her father. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Love you."

"I love you, too, kiddo. Now go get some sleep." He said.

Paige ran upstairs and jumped in bed. She snuggled down into the blankets, and turned off the bedside lamp. She twisted the ring on her finger and toyed with the heart dangling from her bracelet. Then she fell asleep, thinking about how great her life was, and how much she felt loved by her new big, crazy family.

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A/N: Ah, finally! Paige has graduated. Next up, she'll turn 18. R&R pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!


	27. Chapter 27

All I own is Paige. The rest belongs to CBS.

Read and review por favor!

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The next morning, Paige awoke to her cell phone ringing. She ran a dainty hand through her hair and rolled over, reaching for her cell phone. It was Spencer.

"Good morning, graduate." He said.

"Mmm, good morning, love." She replied, smiling. She threw the covers back and stood up.

"Did you sleep well?" Spencer asked her.

"Very well." Paige told him. "I kept dreaming about your sweet smile."

"Really?" Spencer squeaked and laughed nervously. "Um, I just called to see if you were busy today?"

"Mmm," Paige thought. "No, not really. I just have to clean the kitchen."

"Okay, well I was wondering if you wanted to go to the park with me today?" He asked her.

"Ooh, like a date?" Paige teased.

"Um, well, yeah." Spencer replied.

"Yeah, I'd love to! Which park?" Paige asked.

"I'll pick you up at noon. Okay?" Spencer said.

"What about my dad? What do I tell him?" She questioned.

"I don't know, um, you'll figure something out." He told her.

"Okay, well, I'll see you later!" Paige said.

"See you at noon." Spencer replied nervously. They hung up. Paige giggled excitedly.

She ran to the bathroom and took a hot shower. She stayed in for about thirty minutes, letting the water massage her muscles. She got out and wrapped herself in a big, fluffy orange towel and wandered back into her room. She turned on her music and danced while she got dressed. Ten later she was dressed in a casual but pretty black lacy top and acid-wash jeans. She slipped her feet into a pair of black flip-flops. She put her mother's wedding ring on and the bracelet Spencer gave her before turning her attention to her hair. She played around with her hair for a few minutes, trying out pigtails, pony tails and different assortments of barrettes before deciding to fluff it up and leave it down. She lined her eyes with black eyeliner, swiped on some mascara and lip gloss. A squirt of perfume later and she was ready to go. She checked the time. It was almost noon.

She headed downstairs to the kitchen, which was already clean. She smiled and shook her head, then headed to the living room. Her father was sitting in his chair, working on some case files.

"Hey Dad?" She said quietly.

"Yes, kiddo?" He replied.

"Can I go shopping with Penelope today?" She asked him.

"Sure, go ahead. I'll mostly be working on case files today anyway, so you might as well go out and have some fun. Just make sure you take your phone with you, in case I need to call you." He said.

"Thanks, Dad." Paige grinned and headed for the door.

"Oh and Paige?" Rossi called.

"Yeah, Dad?" Paige replied sticking her head around the corner and looking into the living room.

"Try not to spend all your graduation money in one place." He advised.

"Okay, Dad! See you later! Love ya!" She called as she headed for the door.

She stood outside, waiting for Spencer. He pulled into the driveway a few minutes later. He opened his door and got out. Paige ran up to him and hugged him.

"Let's go, before Dad sees us." She whispered. He nodded, and they climbed into his car and drove off.

Rossi stood at the window, peering out at his daughter.

"That's not Penelope," he thought to himself. He shook his head. He had known for a while that she and Spencer were a little more than just friends, but he hadn't said anything. He was waiting for her to open up to him. But now she had lied to him and this was too far. He would deal with her when she got home.

Meanwhile, Paige had sworn to keep her eyes closed while Spencer drove them to their destination. After driving for about twenty minutes, they stopped.

"Can I open my eyes now?" She asked.

"No, it's a surprise." Spencer said, getting out of the car. He went around to Paige's door and opened it. He took her by the hand and helped her out of the car.

"Come on, I'll lead you there." He said.

"Why, Dr. Reid, do I detect a hint of romance?" She teased. He stood behind her to guide her and they walked for a few minutes. Finally, they came to a stop. Spencer leaned in and kissed Paige's ear.

"You can open your eyes now," he whispered.

When Paige opened her eyes, she gasped. Before her was a picnic blanket and a picnic basket.

"A picnic? That is so sweet!" She exclaimed. She turned around and kissed Spencer on the mouth. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she brought her hands up to his face. They kissed for several minutes before coming up for air.

"We should probably enjoy our picnic now," Spencer told her, still holding her close.

"Yeah, probably." Paige said. They sat down on the picnic blanket and Spencer unpacked the basket.

"Let's see we've got stuff to make sandwiches, we have potato chips, potato salad, and a special treat for dessert." He said.

"Yum, I love potato salad." She said.

Paige grinned when she saw her two most favorite ingredients amongst the sandwich stuff. She grabbed two pieces of bread and began to spread peanut butter on each slice. Then she grabbed a few chunks of turkey and put them on top of the peanut butter. She slapped the sides together and took a bite.

"I haven't had one of these in so long!" She exclaimed. Spencer looked at her strangely and laughed.

"That's gross." He said.

Paige swallowed. "Have you ever tried it?"

"Well, no." He replied.

"Then you have to try it. It's so good." She giggled.

"You're not serious." Spencer said.

"Come on," she pouted. "Please?"

"Oh, alright. But I'm only going to do this because you look incredibly cute when you beg." He told her. He tore off a bite sized piece of her sandwich and reluctantly put it in his mouth. He chewed for a while, pondering over the taste. Finally he swallowed.

"See, it's good, right?" She asked.

"It's okay. Not my favorite. But it's not as disgusting as I thought it was going to be." He admitted.

They continued eating lunch, chatting and laughing. Finally, after lunch they laid down in the grass and stared up at the clouds.

"I am so stuffed." Paige said.

"Me too. I don't know if I have enough room for dessert." He commented.

"Well then," Paige turned over on her side to face him, placing her chin in her palm. "I guess we'll have to work off that big lunch."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Spencer asked.

"I don't know," Paige said with a cheeky grin. She brought her lips to Spencer's and kissed him softly. She sat up. "Maybe like this?" She touched his shoulder.

"Tag! You're it!" She exclaimed. She jumped up and kicked off her shoes, then took off running.

Spencer scrambled to his feet, brushing the grass off of his brown corduroys. He chased after her.

"That wasn't fair! You got a head start!" He called out.

"Who ever said I had to play fair?" She asked coyly.

Spencer increased his speed and was closing in on Paige. She squealed and giggled. He finally got up to her and grabbed her by the waist, picking her up and swinging her around. She laughed out loud.

"I caught you!" He said, placing her back on the ground. She turned around and kissed him.

"Yeah, well, I may have slowed down a little. I wouldn't want to wear you out or anything." She told him.

"Right," he replied. They walked hand in hand back to their picnic spot.

"Paige, when are we going to tell the rest of the team?" He asked.

"Soon." She said.

"Really?" He asked. "Really, truly?"

"Yes. I promise. I just think we should wait until I turn eighteen. My birthday is in a couple of weeks anyways." She said.

"Okay, but as long as we tell them soon. I don't like keeping our relationship secret. I don't want to feel like I have to hide you, like I'm ashamed of you. I love you, Paige." He said.

"I love you, too. Which is why we have to wait. I'm still a minor and you could get in a lot of trouble for being with me." She said.

"I know. I just wish it wasn't so hard. It's so hard for me to control myself around you, especially when the team is around. But I can handle a few more weeks." He said.

"Okay," Paige replied. He kissed her softly.

"Now it's time for dessert." He said. He dug around in the picnic basket and pulled out a little box. Inside was a huge piece of cherry cheesecake.

"My favorite! How did you know?" She asked.

"I asked Garcia." He replied simply. She kissed him again.

They quietly enjoyed their dessert. Afterwards, they gathered up the basket and picnic blanket and headed for the car. The ride to Paige's house was fairly quiet, but not in an awkward way. Paige and Spencer simply reveled in each other's presence, feeling complete just being near each other.

They finally stopped in front of Paige's house.

"I don't want to go in." Paige said. "I want to stay with you."

"I know, but we'll see each other more now that you're graduated." He replied.

"I had a great time today. Thank you so much." She told him. He leaned in and kissed her passionately. She reciprocated the kiss. After a few minutes Spencer broke away.

"Um, we don't want your dad to see." He said.

"Right. My dad." She replied.

She stepped out of the car and headed for the front door. She turned back and waved to Spencer before going inside.

"Dad, I'm home!" She called.

"How was your shopping trip with Penelope?" He asked. "Or should I say, whatever it was you were doing when you lied to me and went with Spencer?"

Paige knew she was in for it.

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A/N: Uh-oh, cliffhanger. I will update soon. And she will be turning 18 within the next few chapters. I'm trying to figure out how to end this story, and hopefully I'll be wrapping it up in about 4 chapters. Maybe. We'll see how it goes.


	28. Chapter 28

All I own is Paige. The rest belongs to CBS.

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"_How was your shopping trip with Penelope?" He asked. "Or should I say, whatever it was you were doing when you lied to me and went with Spencer?" _

_Paige knew she was in for it._

"_Um, Dad, I can explain." Paige started._

"_You'd better be able to! And you better have a damn good reason for lying to me!" Rossi shouted._

"_Daddy, I--" Paige stuttered._

"_Well?" Rossi asked._

"_Um, well, what happened was, Spencer and I were at the library, and he leaned in and kissed me. Then he said he was sorry and I told him not to be, then we decided to forget about it, but then we were in that closet and he told me he really didn't want to forget about it and promised that even after we were saved he still wouldn't want to forget that kiss, and in the hospital we decided to start dating, but I didn't want to tell you because I'm not yet 18 and I didn't want Spencer to lose his job over it, we were going to tell you once I turned 18, Daddy, I swear!" Paige blurted, tears streaming down her face. "Daddy, he means everything to me."_

_Rossi saw the love that glittered in Paige's eyes when she talked about Spencer, and decided to talk to her calmly and rationally._

"_Paige, I'm a profiler. I could tell after we rescued you that the relationship between you and Spencer had changed. I was waiting for you to feel comfortable enough to tell me it had. I trust Reid, and I know he would never hurt you or make you do anything you didn't want to do. His job is secure." Rossi told her. "It's just the fact that you don't trust me enough that you think you have to lie to me is what makes me angry."_

"_I'm sorry, Dad." She whispered._

"_I forgive you." He replied. "Now do you want to tell me where you were."_

"_Well, Spencer blindfolded me and drove me to a park, where he had set up the nicest picnic. Then we played tag and ate cheesecake." Paige told him. "Isn't that sweet?"_

_Rossi pondered this with a quizzical look on his face._

"_Daddy, nothing happened. Our relationship isn't like it." Paige said._

"_Okay." Rossi replied._

"_So, are we good?" Paige asked him._

"_Well, I'm not so mad anymore if that's what you mean. But you aren't getting off that easy, young lady. You are grounded until your eighteenth birthday and you aren't to talk to Spencer until then." Rossi told her._

"_Okay, I guess that seems fair." Paige said._

"_Alright, good. I'm calling Penelope. I don't see a reason for taking your phone and laptop, so I'm just going to have her monitor who you talk to." He said._

"_Okay." Paige replied._

_It was going to be a long two weeks._

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_A/N: Sorry, I know it's a bit short, but the next one will be Paige's birthday for sure, so it will be longer._


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